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Rita Lakin Knows That Getting Old Can Kill Youhttps://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2017/12/21/rita-lakin-knows-tha-getting-old-can-kill-you/
https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2017/12/21/rita-lakin-knows-tha-getting-old-can-kill-you/#respondThu, 21 Dec 2017 17:29:07 +0000http://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/?p=412You know when you find something or someone that you really like and you want to tell everyone about it? This is one of those times: Rita Lakin. I didn’t know her, but I knew her work. Have you ever heard of the TV series Dynasty? Peyton Place, Mod Squad, The Rookies or a little show that ran from 1963 to 1982 called The Doctors. Well, that’s Rita. She wrote, created, or produced many TV series and Movies of the Week.

Rita Lakin has now taken her writing talent and created a wonderful family of characters that can be found in her Getting Old series of mystery books. They feature Gladdy Gold and the Gladiators. To me they feel like Jessica Fletcher meets The Golden Girls. Solving murders has never been so funny!

Let’s catch up with Rita and Abby’s interview already in progress:

Abby: This is quite a career you are having.

Rita: I had quite a career in LA. It was really quite a good one. You know it is so funny, I am actually writing an autobiography or whatever you want to call it. I forgot myself the things I did. I said, “Gee, I wish I had known at the time what I was doing. I would have taken more advantage of it.”

Abby: Well, I must say, you did pave the way for a lot of people.

Rita: I did. I brought a lot of women in the business which was very important.

Abby: You started writing in 1962. How did you get into it?

Rita: I got a job as a secretary in the executive offices at Universal Studios. It turned out that being in the executive offices wasn’t too shabby. I was sitting there doing nothing, and I realized that I could be reading scripts. So I put my bosses name on the script list which really surprised him. He asked, “Why am I getting scripts? I don’t get scripts.” I confessed that I wanted to be a writer so he was very helpful. So I taught myself how to write scripts. Agents came in a lot. My boss was so cute. He kept saying, “Rita is a great writer. You should manage her!” And of course most people ignored that except one guy and he actually said, “Let me read something.” Next thing I knew I had an agent and a job. When opportunity knocks you better be ready. So I was. Opportunity knocked, and I had the script that I wrote as a sample script. I got the job!

Abby: Was that Dr. Kildare?

Rita: Right. The first one I did was Dr. Kildare.

Abby: I watched several shows that you wrote.

Rita: Really? Then I probably destroyed your mind at some point!

Abby: You have either created or written for some of my favorite TV Shows: The Mod Squad, The Rookies…

Rita: That one…yeah right.

Abby: Aren’t you proud of The Rookies?

Rita: I created The Rookies but I sort of never got my own script shot. I was trying to do something that they hadn’t done before and they weren’t ready for it. So they had somebody else rewrite me. That happens quite often. But I was right and they were wrong because Steven Bochco came along 10 years later and became famous doing what I was trying to do.

Abby: You were a woman ahead of your time! What has been your favorite TV creation?

Rita: I had a lot of things that I liked. I loved being on Peyton Place. That was a real fun job because there were six of us writers and we just had a ball. We were all very young then and we kind of taught one another. I would say that was probably one of my favorites.

Abby: Now you have a series of books featuring Gladdy Gold and the Gladiators. Your books are fun from the title to the very end.

Rita: All of it is funny. You can’t write a book about Florida without it being hilariously funny because Florida is a crazy place.

Abby: Have you ever lived there?

Rita: My entire family moved there when they left New York and I moved to California. So I used to visit them every single year. Every time I went to visit them I was laughing hysterically. They just were so funny. I would say to them, “Why on earth don’t you go to the beach?” And they said, “What? And bring home sand and mess up the apartment?” It was a gorgeous, gorgeous beach that they never went to.

Abby: You dedicated Getting Old Can Kill You to your sister, Judy.

Rita: Yes.

Abby: Are any of the characters based on her?

Rita: In book two, which is “Getting Old Is the Best Revenge,” she is a character in it. My sister loves playing Bingo and so she forced me to go on this Bingo Cruise which I did not want to go on. Then I wrote this murder mystery which takes place on this Bingo Cruise and I made her and her friend the characters. It was really cute because she got mad at me. She said, “You made me very mean.” And I said, “That’s because you are mean.” She is a loving sister.

Abby: That’s what I get from your characters is that they are all good friends, and become friends to the readers.

Rita: They are. They are all wonderful.

Abby: You can’t help but like them.

Rita: Even when they do extremely stupid things.

Abby: Since they are such great characters and you have a history with television I have to ask if you are thinking of making this a TV Series?

Rita: Honey, I tried to sell it as a TV Series and nobody wants it. They don’t want anything with old people. I am so angry at them all. Everybody says, “Well they did Golden Girls.” That was like 10-15 years ago. They just don’t want to do anything with anybody old. They are interested in the young people and the really tacky and very edgy stuff.

I did sell one of my books, believe it or not, to German television. They are doing Getting Old Is Criminal. I don’t know if I will ever see what they have done with it or if I see it will I even know what they did.

It is very annoying because I know that my books would make a very funny series. I haven’t found anybody who can be convinced of that. They are not interested. They want the teenybopper audience. You see the kind of shows that are on.

Abby: Yes I do and I know that once you pass 49 you are not wanted any more in the TV world.

Rita: That’s right. No longer welcome. So I said, “To hell with them” and I will just write my books.

Abby: That’s how I found you, at Sisters in Crime when you were reading a passage from your current book, Getting Old Can Kill You.

Rita: Yeah. It’s so funny because today I went to my first Gladdy Gold Book Club. Well I had my very first own book club with my books that they are reading and we are discussing. Today we had our first meeting and it was a lot of laughs because we were talking about all of the funny stuff in them.

Abby: Will there be a number 8 for the Gladdy Gold series?

Rita: I am hoping so but I am not doing anything until I finish this memoir thing. I’m just not!

Abby: Do you have any advice for people just getting started in the writing business?

Rita: I think the advice is the same advice that everybody gives. It is a matter of persevering. You just have to just keep trying and not giving up. I think the business – I’m talking now about showbiz in LA – is now very hard to get into. As far as writing books, it is a much nicer world to be in.

Abby: Sisters in Crime, they are very nice.

Rita: They are just lovely people. They try to help one another which is even more astonishing when you think about it. I give the same advice to keep going and don’t give up. I think they should join groups like Sisters in Crime because you don’t have to be a published writer to join. And you get a lot out of it. And you also get a tremendous amount of support from everybody. Everybody is so gracious about that. They really are perfectly happy to help if they can.

Abby: Do you have a favorite line from Gladdy Gold?

Rita: I have two favorite lines. My very favorite line is, “Never trust anybody under 75.”

That is the Gladdy Gold Detective Agency Slogan or Motto. I love that.

Abby: I’m in trouble.

Rita: Why? What’s the matter?

Abby: I’m under 75.

Rita: Well there you are!

Abby: What is the second?

Rita: The second is the very, very first sentence of the very, very first book. It said, “The poison was in the pot roast.” And we go from there.

Abby: Rita, thank you for talking with me.

Rita: Oh, my pleasure.

Rita Lakin is a National Treasure. She helped pave the way for women to get into writing for TV and movies. She continues to entertain us with Getting Old Is Murder, Getting Old Is the Best Revenge,Getting Old is Criminal, Getting Old is To Die For, Getting Old is a Disaster, and Getting Old is Tres Dangereux and Getting Old Can Kill You. I hope that she continues to write for decades to come.

Thank you Rita!

]]>https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2017/12/21/rita-lakin-knows-tha-getting-old-can-kill-you/feed/0yesimwomanTammie Brown is Going Places and Taking Hot SkunX With Herhttps://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2016/07/31/tammie-brown-is-going-places-and-taking-hot-skunx-with-her/
https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2016/07/31/tammie-brown-is-going-places-and-taking-hot-skunx-with-her/#respondSun, 31 Jul 2016 00:29:28 +0000http://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/?p=407Tammie Brown is probably best known for being on the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race and then being a member of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. Tammie is more than just a drag superstar. Tammie is an artist on many levels and someone that always challenges my own way of thinking. Don’t take my word for it, read on!

Abby: I’d like to welcome Tammie Brown from Planet 10.5 and immediately ask if you have a favorite joke you can share?

Tammie: Sure Abby, here’s one: You know what they say about guys that wear white socks?

Abby: What?

Tammie: They’re just as common as a household cutting board. You know what they say about guys that wear black socks?

Abby: What?Tammie: You don’t know if those are two feet under the table or two black long anacondas.

Abby: I saw the new ones. And I saw your RuPaul’s Drag Race audition tape.

Tammie: Oh, cool. The audition tape is funny because it tells you all the stuff that is leading up to walking children in nature.

Abby: And Walking Children in Nature is one of the new tracks on your CD, Hot SkunX.

Tammie: Correct. And we are also getting a video for it next month.

Abby: I’ve got to say that I think my favorite song is Anyone Who Isn’t Me Tonight. because I’ve wondered what it is like to be you. Which is your favorite?

Tammie:Walking Children in Nature or Rain or Shine. I do love Anyone Who Isn’t Me Tonight. I like I Stay Connected and I’m happy about the Spanish ones.

Abby: I just watched the Spanish videos on your Facebook page.

Tammie: I wrote the lyrics for both of those.

Abby: What are you saying?

Tammie: In Amigos Son Heroes it’s called Friends Are Heroes. It’s talking about the real strong friendships and the faith of being friends and supporting each other. And La Telarana is about a spider. It starts out saying how the morning dew shines on the spider web like brilliant crystals. When the sun goes down and the stars and bright moon come out, then little by little here comes the little spider. She’s small but she’s poisonous with her kisses of love. When I say the kisses of love I mean the kisses of pain are what love is like. And then it says how the little spider rolls you up in her silky little web giving kisses of love. So that’s about love.

Abby: Wow. Sounds like a bad relationship.

Tammie: I guess it could be a bad relationship, yah. And it’s for the people into autoerotic asphyxiation. Right? And necrophiliacs.

Abby: Oh, after the poison has done its business?

Tammie: I guess. I always call Kelly Mantle a necrophiliac because she’s a bit of a hypochondriac so I turn it around and call her a necrophiliac. Back to the album. I wrote the lyrics and Michael Catti, my music partner and accomplished guitar player, put the music together for the songs really nicely. And Anyone Who Isn’t Me Tonight actually is a cover. It’s a Dottie West, Kenny Rogers song. So I’m paying the rights for that. And all of the other music is published with BMI under Tammie and Buster Brown. And Rain or Shine I co wrote with Rodrigo Beroso who wrote Clam Happy and is my creative partner.

Abby: Now can people buy the videos you have out?

Tammie: No the videos aren’t for sale. Maybe one day we will have a catalog of underground videos. I don’t mind having the grittiness of the aesthetic of the low budget independent kind of art.

Abby: Well you do consider yourself an artist first. Is that correct?

Tammie: Correct. I do consider myself an artist first. What I want to convey as an artist is joy and awareness.

Abby: Awareness of what?

Tammie: Awareness of what’s going on, on the planet. What can we do to help out and make things better. Consciousness.

Abby: I have seen that you are very passionate about the orcas, the killer whales that are in captivity. What do you have to say about that?

Tammie: Well I’ve been saving the killer whales for a while now. I was aware that the movie Black Fish was coming out and I did some studying on the documentary. I saw clips of the movie and was made aware of what was going on with these animals. These sentient beings. Sentient animals. I just really feel that it’s wrong for them to be in captivity because they are performing for their food. When kept in small tanks the males dorsal fin bends over which is only seen in captivity. I thought, “Oh Sea World is okay because they have such big tanks, right?” No! They perform in the big tanks but are held in tiny spaces. When these animals are in the wild they can swim free all day long. When the whales are captured and separated from their families this causes trauma and lessens their lives. Then to find out that Sea World is lying about it the whole time making everything look like it’s gumdrops and roses for these animals when it’s not is just wrong. And then you are shoveling out money to them and they’re just making more money for themselves and not even taking care of the animals. They are feeding these animals fish that’s injected with vitamins and water because they are not getting enough supplied. And the animals are attacking and violating each other. For example Morgan, she was found stranded. They brought her in to rehabilitate her. Well Sea World put their hand in it and they transported her to one of their associate franchises in the Canary Islands where she’s being abused and raped by the other whales. She is in desperate need of our help. And how do you explain that Sea World? I just don’t think it’s fair.

Abby: So would you like to see them released out into the nearest ocean?

Tammie: You can’t release them all into the ocean. Some are going to be able to be rehabilitated like Keiko was. Keiko is the killer whale from Free Willy. He was rehabilitated into a sea pen and he lived for 5 years in the ocean. He was eventually released and he swam to Norway and he lived for a year off the coast of Norway. He met his untimely death, and I would say his untimely death, because living in a tank put stress on his life. You know what I mean?

Abby: I think I do.

Tammie: And if anybody really looks into it I don’t think they’ll think it’s just either. And the biggest part of the movement is spreading awareness to the children because the children are the ones that really get the whole movement going.

Tammie: One of my favorite things in life is probably sweet iced tea. Don’t water it down! I do like it sweet and with a bit more ice please! I love popcorn and designer potato chips. Gourmet potato chips. In fact I love the ones that are from New Orleans. They are called Zapp’s potato chips. They have a little alligator on them. My first introduction to them was a dill pickle flavor. Really good. They have a Voodoo chip. It’s a mix of all the flavors from Tabasco, dill, Cajun, vinegar and salt and pepper. All the mix on one chip. It’s really good! And I do like my French fries extra crispy if not I’m going to send them back. That’s for sure. You can quote that. Oh, I love free range steak. A nice rib eye, New York steak or a tenderloin. I like to make paper flowers too like in my new video. Several of us are wearing those flowers, “Flores del papel” in our hair. All of those flowers I made myself.

Abby: Where does your Mexican influence come from?

Tammie: I lived in Mexico for over 6 years as a child. That gave me a lot of my inspiration to be so open and do different things. And to be more accepting of different things like art and stuff.

Abby: I read that you have some international show locations coming up and that you will be sharing the stage with The Milk Queen.

Tammie: Yes. In June we’re off to Europe. We’ll be in Glasgow, London and Ireland.

We have a cabaret to perform in Paris and then a week in the South of France. While in Paris I am going to connect with other artists. I’ll do more videos and photos and artistic projects. And Michael Catti is also going with me. That will be cool and we can collaborate together as well.

Abby: So what else is going on, on Planet Tammie 10.5?

Tammie: I have a new YouTube channel at ItsTaMMieBrown with new videos. I’m going to have a Halloween theme song out which I already have the lyrics for. The cool thing about my YouTube channel is I’m going to keep everything in house. All of the music will be originals written and featuring me. I recently performed my concert “Walking Children in Nature” at the Laurie Beechman Theater in New York. And now Hot SkunX is out. I’m in the book “D.R.A.G.” I recently worked with the photographer Magnum Hasting. He’s putting together a book with a lot of the queens. There’s also the “Gorgeous Project” too. That’s another book that’s in the process. Drag queens Delta Work, Laganja Estranja, Candis Cayne and drag king Landon Cider will be in it. It’s really neat to be part of these projects. I am most excited about my CD Hot SkunX. Please check it out. And check out my other CD entitled Popcorn.

Abby: Congratulations on all of these projects. One last question. Are you single?

]]>https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2016/07/31/tammie-brown-is-going-places-and-taking-hot-skunx-with-her/feed/0Tammie BrownyesimwomanQueens of the Castro Tammie BrownKim Russo on The Happy Medium: Life Lessons from the Other Sidehttps://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2016/05/23/kim-russo-on-the-happy-medium-life-lessons-from-the-other-side/
https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2016/05/23/kim-russo-on-the-happy-medium-life-lessons-from-the-other-side/#commentsMon, 23 May 2016 22:08:52 +0000http://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/?p=391

“Remember that what’s happening to you is just one moment in all of eternity. It’s a pin dot in time.” -Kim Russo

Kim Russo is the star of Lifetime Movie Network’s hit TV show The Haunting Of… Now Kim Russo has become an author with her new book The Happy Medium: Life Lessons from the Other Side. This book is both philosophical and metaphysical in nature and I learned a lot from it. Kim has an easy teaching style and explains things so people can actually understand what she is saying.

I had the opportunity to interview Kim Russo in 2014 and asked her about her life and her mediumship abilities. If you missed that interview you may want to consider reading it now as the following interview is based more on things covered in her book.

Abby: Kim, I have one question to ask before I ask you about topics in your book. The last time we spoke I asked you about being “Star Struck” and you thought you might be star struck if Elvis Presley channeled through you. So when Elvis appeared during your session with Wayne Newton how did you feel?

Kim: The answer to this question goes a bit deeper than just meeting a world-wide super star who was one of a kind and can never be duplicated. When I was young, I watched every Elvis movie out there and quickly became an avid Elvis fan. I was lucky enough to have had a ticket to his last concert before he died. Since I never got to see him because he passed on, I felt like I knew him and probably like the rest of the world, felt as if I never got closure by not physically laying my eyes on him. Years later, my sister met her husband and we had one very big common interest – Elvis. My brother-in-law Jack passed away very tragically and untimely. On the day I was filming with Wayne Newton in Las Vegas, my sister decided to join me since we both love to gamble. On the day that I was filming with Wayne, I felt the very powerful presence of my brother-in-law Jack. At first I thought he was around because my sister was with me and he was just joining in on our fun. I also felt that since Jack loved Wayne Newton and Elvis was his friend, that Jack was just being a super fan from the other side. Little did I know that after Elvis channeled through me to deliver messages to Mr. Newton, I heard jack whisper to me that I owe him one since he was the one who helped arrange my meeting with the dynamic duo (Wayne and Elvis). Interestingly enough, Mr. Newton was supposed to film The Haunting Of the prior year but his schedule would not permit. We were not certain if we could ever be able to secure another date to meet. Thanks to Jack, it finally happened. I got to meet Elvis Presley. Not in the way I would have liked, but in a much more meaningful way. I love how the Spirit World is able to make wishes come true, even after physical death.

Abby: What motivated you to write the book, The Happy Medium: Life Lessons from the Other Side?

Kim: There are many factors that motivated me to write the book. Perhaps the most important one is to help remind the masses to awaken to the power that lies within them and which is part of their spiritual DNA. I want to teach people how to unlock their birth given innate spiritual gifts. Going forward, these are the gifts that will help humanity to heal the earth and her population during the crucial decades surrounding the millennium. Now, more than ever, humanity needs to wake up and discover its true nature of complete oneness and light. Darkness is infiltrating our planet like never before and it is my hope that my book can inspire people to let go of the limited beliefs and fears that have been instilled in them by organized institutions which have held them back from realizing their true identity.

Abby: Kim, you had written, “I’d really love to see a day when psychic abilities become a part of our educational curriculum the way health, science or history is.”

At what grade level would you introduce a class on psychic abilities?

Kim: First I would teach this as soon as the baby is born and in the home. Soon after, this should be taught immediately in whatever year your child enters school, whether it be pre-K or Kindergarten. We must never stop learning to go beyond using our five senses and the more it is reinforced, it shall take root and become routine. Utilizing our five senses helps us connect in the physical 3D world but discovering our senses beyond the five, helps us connect to our hearts. If we are all on equal playing ground by realizing that we are all one and not separate from one divine source, then I believe we can get more accomplished without the use of competition, violence or fear.

Abby: What is the difference between a malevolent soul and a demonic soul?

Kim: This is a very good question. Actually some will argue that a malevolent soul is a demon. However, from what I learned directly from the spirit world and from my own experiences, there can be differences. Malevolent souls are extremely negative souls who have totally disconnected and have strayed far from the light of the God force but have once lived in human form. These are the negative bad seeds that infiltrate humanity. In most cases they never experienced any form of LOVE. They can however be coaxed back to the light at some point. Demons are spiritual beings without physical form and never incarnated as human. Although they are supernatural beings with no form, they can inhabit or possess a human body. They are evil spirits that are opposed to God and His work. They were probably created before the world was and, like Satan, fell away from God.

Abby: I loved your advice to wish these roaming spirits peace and a safe return to the light. Where do the roaming spirits actually go when they are asked to leave?

Kim: These roaming trapped spirits should lovingly be asked to leave the 3D physical dimension so that they may ascend higher into the consciousness of light where they can bask in love and peace and continue learning about their own journey of their soul. While staying in the physical world, trapped without a physical body, nothing meaningful can happen for this soul. The light serves as a beacon for the soul to pass through a door or gateway from the physical reality to the non-physical reality. There are many different dimensions and levels in which a soul can cross over into, but the light on the higher astral levels is where most souls are drawn to, and will usually stay for a while in its own comfortable surroundings. Note: it is made to mimic the physical earth for our own safety and comfort. Loved ones, pets and others are there to help greet us. We do go on from there. Where we go from there depends on our free will and on what we have done or still need to learn or what we still have left to do as a soul. The ultimate destination is for a soul to release the mind of the EGO (this represents things such as fear, pride, jealousy, control, unworthiness, insecurity, etc. and which is total and complete separation of God or darkness) to finding its way back to its original source of LIGHT and LOVE or GOD – which equals wholeness, peace, unity, bliss, enlightenment, understanding, unconditional love, etc. This may take many lifetimes.

Abby: Is there a protocol to talk to angels or guides and ask them for help? Do you need to talk out loud or address them a certain way?

Kim: No Angels, Spirit Guides and even our deceased loved ones can hear our thoughts. We do not have to speak our thoughts out loud in order for them to hear us. I talk about how to access and speak to Spirit Guides, angels and loved ones in my book.

Abby: Until I read your book I thought that a soul group was like The O’Jays, The Temptations or Gladys Knight and the Pips. What is your version of a “Soul Group?”

Kim: Soul Groups are the set of souls in which you most frequently reincarnate with over and over in many lifetimes. The most obvious are your family members and friends. Keep in mind that in order to satisfy the law of Karma, (what you did to help or harm another in a previous life) you must pay the piper as they say to balance out your actions, good or bad. There are many dimensions of soul groups as can be compared to extended family and friends and workers and co-workers, neighbors, etc. Prior to coming to earth, we each agree to make a soul contract with members of our soul group and these can literally be with tens of thousands of souls of people who we’ve previously incarnated with many times beforehand. You will meet members of your soul groups at different intervals of your life. Sometimes you may meet a member of your soul group right before you are about to leave this earth. This person may have agreed to help usher you home with love and compassion.

Abby: People these days are not staying in relationships as long as married people used to. Do you think that they are breaking up as soon as their soul contract with each other has been fulfilled?

Kim: Actually I think people are more aware and are remembering many parts of their soul contracts now more than ever. Since many people are on a spiritual quest to find inner peace, they are adopting more spiritual practices such as yoga and meditation. These practices, as well as many others, are helping people access their soul memories faster and therefore can see what circumstances in their lives are holding them back. Sometimes it is a marriage, partnership, friendship or even a career that is no longer serving their higher purpose and they know they must let those relationships die in order for them to truly live.

Abby: Is it possible to change or cancel your soul contract once you are here on earth?

Kim: Absolutely yes. We all pick circumstances and events in our life to help us learn lessons from our past lives or our past soul journeys. We also have to balance out our lessons by incorporating the law of Karma also known as the law of cause and effect. The quicker you recognize and learn your lessons, you can release your karma and therefore can fulfill and release that part of your soul contract.

Abby: If our souls are connected by a silver cord is it dangerous to cut all cords when you have an attachment?

Kim: No, one cannot sever the silver cord unless he or she takes his own life as the silver cord cannot be cut unless physical death occurs.

Abby: Above all, what do you want people to take away from your book?

Kim: Above all, I wanted to write a book to inspire and empower others to find the gifts they were naturally born with. Many people are living on the earth with immense fear and insecurity and it is only getting worse. In my book The Happy Medium: Life Lessons from the Other Side, my hope is to help remind everyone that Love is not separate from us and we are not separate from it. When we remember the true nature of our soul and it’s purposeful meaning, fear releases and love prevails -Something this world needs more of.

Abby: Kim I see that you have several events coming up including a Psychic Cruise. Would you please tell us where people can see you in person?

Yes, besides the psychic cruise this coming October, people can see me at my live events all around the country. These events can be viewed on my website at

Also, I will be doing a whole day workshop right here in my hometown of Long Island on June 4th. I will be giving readings and a workshop along with my two other gifted medium friends. This will be a magical day for a spiritual boost. Details are also on my website.

Abby: Kim, thank you very much for taking time out to answer these questions. I appreciate your time and the chance to learn more from you. Thank you.

]]>https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2016/05/23/kim-russo-on-the-happy-medium-life-lessons-from-the-other-side/feed/1RUSSO_HAPPYMEDIUM_FINALyesimwomanGrant Spradling on David Goes Home: Growing Up Gay In The Dust Bowlhttps://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2015/10/28/grant-spradling-on-david-goes-home-growing-up-gay-in-the-dust-bowl/
https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2015/10/28/grant-spradling-on-david-goes-home-growing-up-gay-in-the-dust-bowl/#respondWed, 28 Oct 2015 07:05:39 +0000http://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/?p=382Grant Spradling’s is a retired minister and author. His books include From High In The Mulberry Tree, Maya Sacrifice, Palenque Murder: Death at the Maya Ruins and Imaging the Word. Grant’s latest book David Goes Home: Growing Up Gay in the Dust Bowl is both a mystery novel and a semi-autobiographical memoir about growing up gay in the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression.Abby: Which of your books is your favorite and why?Grant: Difficult question. I cherish each of my books. The first, From High In The Mulberry Tree, a collection of short stories, is particularly significant to me because of the short story form, which for me is more consistently artful than the novel form. I heard Edmond White say that in a short story “every word counts.” Short story is close, I think, to poetry. My next book will be a collection of short stories. I still have had fun writing my murder mysteries, Maya Sacrifice and Palenque Murder, as well as David Goes Home. Working with my co-creators on Imaging The Word was by far the most fun.Abby: Your current novel David Goes Home: Growing up Gay in the Dust Bowl, is semi-autobiographical. What parts of the story actually come from your life?Grant: First of all I am an ordained Congregational Minister. I now have standing in the United Church of Christ. My partner and I did have an apartment on the back of Beacon Hill in Boston. Our relationship was troubled and I was extremely possessive. I did grow up in a small west Oklahoma town in the Dustbowl and I might add, the Great Depression. A boy in my town was outed, causing a big scandal, and the sheriff in my hometown was murdered, yet my solution to the murder and David’s relation with the boy are made up. The things that happened to David could have happened to me, but they didn’t.Abby: Are you a plotter or a pantser in regard to your writing? Do you plot the whole book out or do you write it as it comes to you… by the seat of your pants?Grant: I’d say seat of my pants. David Goes Home is the first book I started and only finished after the other books. When I started David, I was not an experienced writer, I decided rather than create an outline or plot I would just hang the story on the continuum of my life and take off from there. I was never deliberately biographical. I believe one can get at the truth better if they don’t trouble over the facts. This may be a result of my Biblical studies. Not much of the scriptures are literally factual, and yet I believe from the biblical stories come some of the most significant insights the human race has come up with—the most important being that the Creator loves His/Her creation and calls us to love each other and His/Her creation. Ooops, you’ll have to excuse me. When I was ordained, I told my brother that I wasn’t planning to be a preacher. He said, “when are you going to stop?”

Abby: After being with your partner for over 45 years what was the feeling like to finally get married?Grant: It was like standing on a mountain top—like looking back at all the crazy people who made it possible. Clear back to the lesbians and transsexuals and others starting the fight at the Stonewall Bar. I was so afraid when we marched in the first Gay Pride parade. Just think! I’ve got to tell you the page is blurring as I write about it. The United Church, in which we were married in Santa Fe, New Mexico had been at the forefront of the struggle out there. Yeh, I was proud. You might say, proud at last!

Abby: It sounds like you really put your heart into this book. How is your heart doing now post-surgery?Grant: Oh, my goodness! I’m about to drive my partner, now my spouse, Clifford Ames, crazy. I have so much vitality. The cardiologist told me I would feel better every day for the next year. Now it is just passed the anniversary of the surgery and I’m amazed. The stories are flying out of my computer at the rate of almost one a week. I think I’m driving the writer group I belong to here in Merida crazy as well.Abby: What research have you done to make the events in the book accurate?Grant: In the case of this David Goes Home, I didn’t have to. I have firsthand experience. For my Maya books, I live near the English Library which maintains an exhaustive collection of scholarly books about the Maya culture published, or translated, into English. I have read most as they were acquired.Abby: Do you have a specific reader or target demographic in mind as you write?Grant: No. Well, there are times I think of my nieces and nephews. How I would love to have more information about my grandparents generations. Sometimes I imagine folks reading my books and I imagine their being entertained. I guess I aim at folks one sees in the library, readers. I don’t write for a gay audience. It just happens that I am gay, as are some of the characters in my books. Was it Hemmingway who said, write about what you know?Abby: What advice do you have for gay kids growing up either in the Dust bowl or other small towns?Grant: Based on my experience I’d probably tell them to stay in the closet as long as they can, and that, I’m sure, is bad advice. Most young folks are probably far ahead of me, given what they see on television and what most have access through the internet. A great relief came to me, when I was introduced to books by Truman Capote and Gore Vidal. If they are attacked on religious bases, I advise them to get The Religious Right Is Wrong, by Frank Barnham and Gay Revolution by Lillian Faderman. Find a mentor, if you can—not someone you are going to get in trouble!Abby: Grant you are a great example of someone overcoming a disability. Having dyslexia and writing books cannot be easy. So what advice would you give to others suffering from dyslexia and just trying to survive on a daily basis either at school or at work?Grant: Fortunately, now a days we know what dyslexia is! Computer technological advances are a God send. For me the computer is practically a brain prosthesis. Future technology will virtually neutralize the disability we call dyslexia. You are not stupid and if you want to write; write and write. You are your own best teacher. Just by writing and keeping on writing; you will become more critical of yourself. You will find fresh ways to express yourself, and you will get better and better.Abby: Grant thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions. You are a wonderful role model in many ways. Do you have anything else you would like to add?Grant: My partner and I are deeply grateful. We both have had mentors who have made possible our opportunities and our growth. To them and the folks at Stonewall and the many who risked abuse and even prison so that we can step out of the shadows and live openly the love that dare not speak its name.* *Oskar Wilde

]]>https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2015/10/28/grant-spradling-on-david-goes-home-growing-up-gay-in-the-dust-bowl/feed/0David Goes Home Cover ImageyesimwomanwriterPhil Bongiorno: The Man Behind Studio Bongiornohttps://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2015/07/23/phil-bongiorno-the-man-behind-studio-bongiorno/
https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2015/07/23/phil-bongiorno-the-man-behind-studio-bongiorno/#respondThu, 23 Jul 2015 01:41:06 +0000http://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/?p=377While at lunch my friend and author, Clarence Robert Tower, he asked me if I had ever heard of Studio Bongiorno in Santa Clara. I had not, so he asked if I’d like to go. Before I could answer, he warned me that it’s not your average art studio. “Some of the displays can be a little dark or racy and the owner looks like a biker.” Not being someone that shies away from the unusual, I agreed to go. Just by stepping one foot inside Studio Bongiorno I knew we were “not in Kansas any more.” We had crossed over to a modern day version of Oz where Phil Bongiorno is clearly the wizard. Let’s pull back the curtain and get to know Phil Bongiorno a little better.
Abby: Phil, in order to get a better sense of you, let’s we start at the very beginning. I don’t actually think you came from Kansas. Where were you born?
Phil: No, I was born outside of Boston in a small town called Lawrence, Massachusetts. It’s mainly an immigrant-type town. I was born there and then we came out here to San Jose when I was just a few months old.
Abby: Where did you grow up and go to school?
Phil: I went to Baker Elementary School, which was right across the street from my parents’ house. My dad still lives there. I grew up in West San Jose near Kirkwood Plaza. And then across Campbell Ave was, at the time, Castro Junior High. Then later I ended up going to Prospect High School.
Abby: Prior to being an art studio owner what did you do for a living?
Phil: That’s funny you ask. I’ve done all types of different things. I have a checkered past, I guess. Part of my deal is I’ve been sober for a little over 29 years, 30, this October.
Abby: May I ask how old you are?
Phil: 50. I don’t ever think my brain will be 50 but my bones are.
Abby: You said you have a checkered past?
Phil: I partied a lot as a youth which means I made money doing different things to support my habits and such. I got sober when I was 20. I come from an East Coast Italian family, and I had an uncle that was a local gangster. I was employed with him for many years. Eventually my skills led me to be a car salesman. I ran a car dealership for 20 years. So here I am, and I never really called myself an artist. I actually flunked art.
Abby: Wasn’t that just the conventional form of art?
Phil: Exactly. Now here we are in social media. I’m running out of stuff to post, so I posted some photos of drawings and paintings I had done. People were like, “Wow, you do that?” And I’m like, “Yah.” I had never thought much about my capabilities because in my mind I thought a true artist lives in Big Sur. A real artist will paint in this fashion, or do this or do that. They were all styles which I was incapable of doing. So I really never felt that I could call myself an artist.
I was working with a couple different people, and one of them suggested I take this business of art class. It was a great, amazing class. Another gentleman that I deeply respected said, “You don’t get a vote in this. You have a gift and you have to wear that artist robe with pride and embrace who you are.” That kind of let me come out and embrace my artistry.
I was in an art show and showing next to me was an artist that had walked all of these different provinces in China. Then by memory he painted all these different towns. They were amazing! I’m talking to my agent and I go, ” Oh my god, I’m so intimidated. I can’t do what he does.” And she whispered in my ear, “Yah. But he can’t do what you do!” And that was really liberating for me. Once I really reached a point of letting go it was pretty special.
Abby: What is your style of art?
Phil: I don’t even know. I consider life art. I think all of life is art. And it is really hard for me to define because I am capable of expressing myself in different medias. And that’s what’s really cool, I don’t know today how I’m going to want to express that. Am I going to want to pick up a camera, pencil, a spray can, a paint brush or deal with some found objects, mixed media type stuff? I don’t have to sit here and determine what is and isn’t art. I mainly determine what I like. To me, art is supposed to provoke something.
Abby: So what made you open an art studio?
Phil: A lot of things in my life caved in. I lost the job I’d had for 20 years. Then two weeks later my mother passed away. Within 6 months of that my daughter’s mother passed away.
Abby: Is your daughter an artist?
Phil: Actually she is. She hasn’t fully embraced it. She does some really decent photo work and her drawings are pretty amazing. It’s pretty impressive. I’ve been raising my daughter alone since she was 7. She’s going to be 18 in June. She gets mad when I say it, but in some respects she’s been raising me. She kind of keeps me on the straight and narrow, and it’s kind of cool.
Abby: I was introduced to your studio by our mutual friend, Clarence Robert Tower. He asked me if I’d like to stop by an interesting art studio. He felt that I should know that it was run by a biker-looking guy. How do you feel about that image?
Phil: I’m not a biker. I haven’t ridden in years. That lifestyle doesn’t appeal to me any longer. It just doesn’t. I’m really not a biker although the tattoos and stuff will kind of give that impression.
Abby: Did you design your own tattoos?
Phil: Some I designed. Some of them are my cemetery photos. It’s funny because I always made it a point, especially being in sales, to limit the visibility of my tattoos. And what ended up happening is here I am. I’m doing this. I never want to go back to that. So I’m trying to find ways to ensure that I never can. Part of it is to get tattoos on my lower arms, piercing my nose and things like that. I’ve got to ensure that I never return to that. I want to make sure I do everything in my power that this succeeds.
Abby: To the traditional life? Is that what you mean?
Phil: Well, yah. It’s funny because being in the car business I was told that I needed to toughen up. You need thicker skin. And the funny thing is that my sensitivity is my greatest asset as an artist. You know? And I think that although selling cars presented a good living, it played out. I don’t ever want to go back because part of me sold out. Although having an art gallery is a struggle and art is a luxury to many people, I have something that is completely priceless. I did sustain a very good living in the car business but I didn’t have this freedom. I didn’t have this serenity. I didn’t meet all the cool people that I’m meeting now. It’s really funny because I know I have this appearance thing but people get right passed it as soon as they walk in. They can see that this isn’t designed by or set up by some hard ass biker or something like that.
Abby: Do you feature new artists?
Phil: Completely. That’s part of the greatest joy of what I’m doing is to be able to see what exists out there. There are so many different artists. And here at the studio we paint the term artist with a very broad stroke of the brush. That could be music, poetry or even theater. I have someone that’s actually going to be filming scenes for an independent film. So I utilize the space for all the different things. I want this to be basically a space for creative and spiritual-type people. I really enjoy that.
Abby: One of the first things we started talking about on my first visit here was if the studio is haunted. Is your place haunted?
Phil: People have heard and seen things on occasion. I’ve felt the spirits here. It helps being right across the street from the cemetery. This is a turn of the century building and was the California Monument Company for many, many years. I believe there are spirits here. They are all very good.
Abby: You had mentioned to me that someone came in and did a clearing?
Phil: I’ve had 3 to 4 different people out of the blue show up and just want to sage the place and pray on it. I only knew one of them personally at the time so that was kind of cool. I really enjoyed that. It just felt a little cleaner. They taught me a few things to do to kind of clear it. For some reason I kind of have this cosmic no pest strip out front and it kind of weeds people out before they come in. And what I’ve done is I’ve created this space but this isn’t just my vision. Having other people’s art and all of these other things allows for other energy. It’s a warm welcome place for that. But it encourages good energy, you know. And occasionally, like our sign says, “Embracing the light and dark that exists within us all.” That’s the positive and the negative. Both of them are amazing creative sources to draw from. A lot of my artwork takes place in cemeteries because cemeteries represent everything. It’s life. It’s death. It’s heaven. It’s hell. It’s happy. It’s sad. Everything all in one. And I think if I’ve done my art correctly the final product kind of embraces all of that. When someone looks at some of my art, I don’t get to determine how they are going to be moved.
Abby: What events do you have coming up here at Studio Bongiorno?
Phil: April is our 60s art show. On April 12, I have Sam Cutler who is going to do another book signing here. Sam was The Rolling Stones manager and he later went on to manage The Grateful Dead. So he’s just this rock ‘n roll guy and this spiritual kind of cat.
And then on April 26, we have Richie Unterberger. He’s a really amazing writer and rock historian. We’ve had him here in the past. He did a presentation and a book signing on one of his books on the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed. And this time he’s going to be doing a presentation and a book signing on 60s Bay Area rock and roll.
Abby: April sounds like a great month to come by and visit Studio Bongiorno. Thank you Phil for pulling that curtain back and sharing your life and your studio with us all.
Phil: Your welcome Abby. In fact, all are welcome here!
Studio Bongiorno is located at 500 Lincoln St. Santa Clara, CA 95050
Hours: M-T: 10 AM-6 PM
W-TH Closed
F-S: 11:00 AM-8:00 PM
S:10:00 AM-2:00 PM
* Event nights open until 11:00 PM

]]>https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2015/07/23/phil-bongiorno-the-man-behind-studio-bongiorno/feed/0Phil BongiornoyesimwomanMeet Phi Phi O’hara from RuPaul’s Drag Race 4https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2015/05/13/meet-phi-phi-ohara-from-rupauls-drag-race-4-2/
https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2015/05/13/meet-phi-phi-ohara-from-rupauls-drag-race-4-2/#respondWed, 13 May 2015 01:08:15 +0000http://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/?p=370The following interview was posted on Yahoo’s online newspaper before season 4 began. I first met Phi Phi in San Francisco and she was very sweet. I was surprised when season 4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race aired and Phi Phi was portrayed as a bitch. I have met her on several occasions and have an appreciation for her artistry, passion and love of her fans.If you want to be thought of as a bitch like Phi Phi check out her new series: Phi Phi O’hara The Sweetest Bitch: http://www.phiphiohara.net/#!__sb-show

Abby: Hey Phi Phi O’hara!
Phi Phi: Hey Abby!

Abby: Let’s start with the easy questions. Where were you born and where do you live now?
Phi Phi: I was born in San Antonio, TX and I live in Chicago, IL
Abby: Your drag name, Phi Phi O’hara sounds like a little Irish dog and clearly you are neither Irish nor a dog. How did you choose your name?
Phi Phi: I am Filipino, Portuguese and Irish! My last name is Carey.
Abby: Well slap me and call me Mary! I am sorry about that. I only knew about the Filipino and Portuguese side. My apologies. That didn’t stay easy for long.
Phi Phi: That’s OK. Originally I was named Phoenix and people would call me Phi Phi as a nickname in Chicago so I just kept it.
Abby: You stay in great shape. What is your favorite form of exercise?
Phi Phi: Dancing! It is the easiest and most effortless. Plus I perform so much I get to dance all the time! Who needs a gym when you have drag?
Abby: Drag clearly works for you but how does your family feel about you doing drag?
Phi Phi: I am truly lucky and blessed to have the family I have. They have been supportive every inch of the way! Often times they call just to make sure I have my costumes, hair, make up ready for any event or venue I have coming up! I love to see my mom, dad, and sister post all of my videos, photos, any press releases I do and be proud of the son they have!
Abby: Who has been your biggest drag inspiration and why?
Phi Phi: I feel a lot of my inspiration comes from my mother! I try to portray a strong independent woman and she embodies everything that I want Phi Phi to be!
Abby: I love that. Rock on Phi Phi’s Mom!
What was your funniest experience buying women’s clothes?

Phi Phi: Often times when I buy clothes for Phi Phi, people are like, “Are you shopping for your girlfriend?” HA! Then you have those that look at you crazy. This one time I was buying a corset and this older lady yelled at me and said,” I hope that is for a girl and not you.” I said, “Honey, this is not for a girl it is for a Phierce Diva named Phi Phi” and walked off!
Abby: What was the scariest thing that ever happened to you while in drag?
Phi Phi: This one time I performed at a bar and this huge muscular man grabbed me and threw me in the bathroom and tried to kiss and touch me. I screamed and security broke the door down and I ran out of the bar! Never went there again!
Abby: Wow. Alisa was picked up by the cops and you are assaulted by a fan… Drag can be dangerous. I have a lot of respect for all of you that have the courage to follow your dreams and perform in drag. Speaking of performing in drag did you ever get stage fright?
Phi Phi: I crave for audiences attention! I have never been scared to go on stage. I love being able to perform and showcase my talents for any audience.

Abby: Manila Luzon said that the tallest contestant wins RPDR. How tall are you in your bare feet?
Phi Phi: Then I am screwed because I am only 5’7”. Maybe it is because they need a super fierce and fishy queen whose charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent stands higher than the just physically tall queens.
Abby: What celebrity would you like to see in drag?
Phi Phi: Michelle Visage. Wait! Does she already count as a drag queen? I mean damn, she has a good chest plate!
Abby: I’m not going to touch that one Phi Phi. Unless you think I should?
Do you have a favorite moment from any of the previous seasons of RPDR?
Phi Phi: My favorite moment is the music video challenge for the top 3. It is fun to see whose personality shines through and really wants to take the crown. Plus, I feel it is when everyone gets the cattiest!
Abby: What is RuPaul’s Drag Race like?
Phi Phi: RuPaul’s Drag Race is like She Hulk meets Miss Universe meets Bad Girls Club meets The World Olympics!
Abby: Who did you want to win RPDR from season 1, 2 and 3?
Phi Phi: Season 1 – Phi Phi O’hara – Oh wait, I didn’t enter.
Season 2 – Phi Phi O’hara – Oh just kidding I still didn’t enter yet.
Season 3 – Phi Phi O’hara -You knew that was coming!
Abby: That was a diplomatic way of not offending any of the past contestants.

Do you have any Hobbies?
Phi Phi: Aside from working my day job as an optician, or using my creative energy to create couture costumes, my biggest passion is music. I have always been working in the field of music since I was only 5 years old. I have been working on a serious album before the show was cast. I am happy that I am able to finish the album and share it with my Phanatics and the world soon!
Abby: There is a video of you performing to Katy Perry’s “ET” on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bitx-vrPSyg&feature=youtu.be You do a great job but outside of the beads you are wearing you are almost naked. Doesn’t that make you a bit nervous about a possible wardrobe malfunction?
Phi Phi: It doesn’t make me nervous at all. People read because I have no body or they think I’m fat. I say either kiss my fat ass or grow some balls and try doing it on stage too!
Abby: I would love to see you perform live. Where can your fans find out more about you and your live performances?
Phi Phi: My schedule is really filling up and if anyone ever wants to see the closest city I will be in they can always reach my website at http://www.PhiPhiOhara.com or my Phan Page http://www.Facebook.com/PhiPhiOhara
Thank you Phi Phi O’hara. We will be watching you on Logo TV on January 30. I can’t wait to see how it all turns out. Thanks Phi Phi!

Steve, a former NYPD homicide detective, and Amy, a physical medium, travel to all-new haunted locations in the show’s seventh season premiering Saturday, April 25.

Steve researches the facts and history behind each location, interviewing witnesses and experts. Amy communicates with the dead to understand what paranormal activity lies within each location. Keeping their investigations separate from one another, they never speak until the end when they come together to reveal their findings for the client.

In the season premiere, Steve and Amy head to Montego Bay, Jamaica, in the first international case to investigate frightening claims of paranormal activity of a tropical resort. And now I turn it over to both Steve and Amy to talk a little bit about the premiere and the upcoming season. Steve?

Steve DiSchiavi: Hi guys. Yes, the season premiere is pretty exciting for us because we’ve never been out of the country doing an episode. This one was in Montego Bay, Jamaica which is pretty exciting because I’ve never been there.

I heard a lot of spooky stuff about Jamaica, but I didn’t realize they had such a rich history as far as uprising and slavery and everything that went with it. So it was pretty interesting to investigate all that.

Stephanie DePietro: Amy?

Amy Allan: Hi everyone. Yes. It was absolutely a fascinating location to do because it’s so beautiful there and yet there’s this darkness that comes from the history of all of the things that happened there and the horrors that befell so many people over such a long period of time.

And so it’s really strange to go to this beautiful island and then do the walk and see all of these horrifying things that happened, and then to go to reveal and learn that it really was just terrible. So it was very shocking; a very shocking case.

Stephanie DePietro: Okay. I think we can start to open up for questions.

Tony Tellado: Hi guys. I’m pretty excited about this season. You guys have been on quite a good roll. I just think the last few seasons you guys have really been really top-notch. You’ve become my favorite paranormal show on television.

Amy Allan: Thank you.

Tony Tellado: What’s it like to investigate outside of the country, and particularly for you Steve, because usually you deal with the local authorities in the US? Is it a little different working with them in a different country?

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes Tony. It was a little difficult. Logistically, it was a nightmare. But what I found interesting is how passionate everybody in that country is about their history.

They went through a lot in that country. And everybody wants to talk about it. And everybody has an opinion about what happened in that country. So it was pretty exciting.

And trying to get people to talk about it wasn’t the hard part. It was just getting the facts straight because there was a lot of rumor in that country that’s not really factual.

Tony Tellado: Amy, for your walkthrough, did you experience anything different, being that it was a different environment than you were used to investigate?

Amy Allan: Yes. I definitely encountered individuals that were from time periods that were much further in the past historically than what I’m used to dealing with in America. You know, these people were ancient compared to the entities that I encounter in America most often. And so that was interesting.

And also, just seeing all the trials and tribulations that people went through. And just also the entities that were there that were non-human were very different and very fascinating.

And there’s the spiritual element that people still practice there, and that’s different than in America. They’re much more open there to dealing with these things and appreciating their existence. So that was fascinating.

Tony Tellado: Wow. Thanks guys. It sounds like a really cool episode.

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes. It is. It’s an interesting episode because of the fact that, where we investigated, they had a story they’ve been telling for years. And…

Amy Allan: Disbelief.

Steve DiSchiavi: They were a little annoyed with me because they weren’t telling the right story. It was actually a fabrication of a couple of different stories that was totally untrue. So I think I annoyed them a little bit with my investigation by bringing out the truth.

Tony Tellado: I’ll get back in line but it sounds like a really great episode.

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes. It’s going to be a really good one, a really interesting one.

Dan Rice: Hi Steve and Amy.

Steve DiSchiavi: Hey.

Amy Allan: Hi.

Dan Rice: Amy, could you describe the various types of spiritual entities you encounter?

Amy Allan: In general?

Dan Rice: Yes. I’ve noticed on the show, you were saying there’s like demons and poltergeists or something like that?

Amy Allan: Well there are – honestly, it would take a lot of time to go over the various types of entities that exist. But I would say that I am noticing that there are entities that we’ll say are demons or devils. They seem to be becoming more prevalent.

And I call them that because that’s something linguistically that the public can relate to, those types of names, demons and devils, equating to something that’s evil and has never been human.
And poltergeist is actually a living person and extends from a living agent. It’s someone who has psychokinetic abilities and can affect their environment. So those are a couple of the different types of entities that I encounter.

Dan Rice: With this growing number of evil entities, do you think that the world is just becoming more evil?

Amy Allan: I think that people are just becoming more aware of things that are influencing them. And a lot of people talk about the veil of becoming sinner and all of this. I think that is just more of a heightened awareness among living people. And they perceive these things more and more frequently, it seems.

And it’s both good and bad; not just bad but also good. But I think the problem, as far as actually acknowledging that these things exist, is becoming more so than in the recent past.

Dan Rice: And finally, do we all exist on the same realm or is this a case of overlapping dimensions?

Amy Allan: No. There’s definitely different dimensions. Absolutely.

Dan Rice: Okay. Thank you.

Steve DiSchiavi: Thank you.

Amy Allan: Thank you.

Steve Barton: Hey guys, long time no speak. How are you?

Steve DiSchiavi: How are you doing, Steve?

Amy Allan: Hi Steve.

Steve Barton: Hi. I’ve got one question for each of you. And, first of all, Steve, I hope you’re feeling better. I saw that you’re a little under the weather.

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes. I mean I’ve never felt like this ever. And I’m trying to work through it. It’s not that easy but I appreciate that. Thanks.

Steve Barton: I hear you. I mean, as New Yorkers, we’re kind of spunky. So, to take us down, it’s got to be pretty bad.

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes, to say the least. I mean I have a high threshold for pain but I think it’s been tested these last few weeks.

Steve Barton: And color me freaking shocked that you were annoying people in Jamaica. Wow, I never would have thought that.

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes, right?

Steve Barton: So anyway, my question for you Steve is, now that you guys have started doing investigations internationally which is such a godsend, I’m guessing, for the series itself because, wow, I’ve always wanted to see what would happen in other countries. Is there any place you would want to really go to, or any particular that you’ve heard about, that you and Amy would like to investigate?

Steve DiSchiavi: Well, for me, personally, I’m really interested in learning about other people’s cultures when it comes to the afterlife and what they think. You know, obviously, something’s going on. I have my own opinions but I’m very curious.

I’d love to go to Southeast Asia. I mean areas like Switzerland. You name it, I’d love to go. We have a lot of friends in Australia. I’d love to go down there and see what’s cooking.

Steve Barton: On the Barbie, especially.

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes. No doubt.

Steve Barton: All right. Awesome. I hope you guys get to do that, man, because we’ll keep watching. Now, Amy, first of all, you’re looking great, darling.

Amy Allan: Oh, thank you.

Steve Barton: Yes. I keep track of you. And I was wondering, now that you guys have been at this for so long, in terms of the non-human entities which you come across, have you ever run across the same one twice? Like have you ever said, “Okay, well this thing was there and now it’s here now?”

Amy Allan: Well, the thing is that there are entities that stem from the same origin. But the thing is that they’ve come from the same starting point but they tend to fracture so they can cover more terrain and, obviously, harm more people. And those are the ones that are demons or devils, or things like that. So they’ll be very similar.

But they each depending on the environment, the way that they present themselves or the things that they’re doing will be different, or there will be variations to what they’re doing.

And it depends on the situation they’re encountering and how they can best wreak havoc, so to speak. So, they’re similar but I don’t think I’ve ever met exactly the same, like photocopies; identical. No.

Abby Normal: I’d like to extend my condolences for the passing of Uma.

Amy Allan: Thank you.

Abby Normal: I really feel for you.

Amy Allan: Thank you.

Abby Normal: And Steve, thank you for enduring through the shingles.

Steve DiSchiavi: I appreciate that.

Abby Normal: What I wanted to know is if you were in another country, Amy, would you be able to understand them? I mean would – do they speak English?

Amy Allan: Actually, you know, I have encountered both, like I’ve come up against dead people who basically refuse to have a translation take place. So they will just speak their language and there will be a communication breakdown. But, more often than not, there is a type of translation that takes place. And I think it’s via guides who are able to play translator for us.

So yes, once in a while, you get one that is just not happening. They’re not going to – it’s not going to happen. It just depends on the situation.

Abby Normal: Is there a real efficient way to send a shadow person on its way?

Amy Allan: Oh, yes. Not in my experience, no. Not in my experience. There are many other people out there who’d say, “Oh, you can get rid of them in this and that.” But, typically, if they’re easily gotten rid of, they probably weren’t really shadow people. They were probably just dead people.

And, shadow people, you’re dealing with beings that are probably inter-dimensional, and they typically will attach themselves to a person or a location. And I’ve never seen them be easily removed without them coming back.

It’s a completely different type of entity than a dead person or, demonic. These are intelligent beings that are utilizing portals. So it’s just very different.

Abby Normal: Do you have a take on why people get scratched by unseen entities and it will usually be three scratches?

Amy Allan: Well there’s different interpretations there. Some people will say it’s the trinity, the sign of the trinity, and therefore it’s demonic which, I’m not saying, if it is or not. If I’m not doing the case, I don’t know.

And then there’s also, you know, power suggestion where you have an actual poltergeist case. Therefore, the person is doing it to themselves. They may have a religious belief system. And so they’re inflicting that upon themselves and in kind of a religious manner with the three – the trinity.

Mallory Devenback: Hi. I’m probably going to go step away from the international bit. I was wondering how you decide to go to these different locations such as Falconer, New York.

Steve DiSchiavi: Well a lot of that falls on me and the producers and what we go through when we vet. Amy really doesn’t have input in that because she can’t know where she’s going obviously.

Most of the time, the way things have been going this last three, four seasons, we seem to be getting a lot more submissions where people actually were being physically touched. And a lot of times children are being affected.

So that seems to be one of the things I like to hop on is these kids can’t protect themselves. And the parents are having a tough time trying to figure things out. So, for me, that’s a red flag that I want to really look into it first.

You know, we get a lot of submissions where people say, “I got a friendly ghost in my house. I just want to know what’s going on.” And, for us, we’re not going to waste our time doing that. Our job is to help people that’s going through a tough time.

We have thousands of submissions and most of them are just, “Well, I don’t know who’s in my house. I’m not really sure. But they don’t bother us. We just want to find out.”

I mean that’s all well and good but, that’s not what we do. We’re kind of like the A-team for people that are going through a tough time.

So, when we do look at a case, it’s mostly what the intensity is. I cases we’ve been in Season 1 and 2 we would never do now because the stakes are that high for these people.

It seems that the longer the show is going on, the more people are willing to open up and say, “Well listen, I’m going through this crazy stuff. We’re being physically touched. And I need your help. And at least I know you’ll listen.” So that’s been an aspect of how we’re choosing which cases to pick.

Mallory Devenback: Okay. So for the Falconer case, was that child being touched or was that something else?

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes. They had a couple of kids then. They were going through a tough time. And one of their daughter was having a really tough time being physically touched. So we jumped on that.

There’s a lot of deaths associated with that house in particular. A lot of people actually died inside the house. It’s some crazy stuff going on and Amy had a pretty tough walk to it.

Mallory Devenback: Okay. I think I’ll just go back in line.

Emily Mentzer: Thank you. I have a question for you guys about your experience in Independence, Oregon. What can you tell me about your experience at the farm without, of course, giving away anything for the show?

Steve DiSchiavi: Well I could tell you one thing about Independence, Oregon that’s – the stuff these guys were telling me that was going on, I thought I was being punk’d because I never heard anything like it. And basically, I thought they were full of it. I mean the stuff was absolutely bizarre.

But, when we did sit down for the review, it turned out, apparently, whatever they were going through, Amy was able to see, and all of it was pretty much on point. So, the cop in me jumped out and I just never believe anybody 100% anyway.

Emily Mentzer: Okay.

Steve DiSchiavi: That’s just me. But when these guys were starting to talk about things that they were seeing, I’m like, “Yes. All right. You know, this is ridiculous.” You know, this is even over the top for me and I’ve heard it all.

So that case really took me to the point of, “Well you know what? Listen close and listen intently because you never know if this stuff is really what’s going on,” because I just look at these guys like, “Yes. Okay. You’re seeing this? Are you out of your mind?” But it all turned out to be pretty much on point which is kind of scary if you live there.

Emily Mentzer: Okay. And then a question from our readers here at the newspaper is they want to know if you guys have ever – either if you have ever had a spirit follow you home.

Steve DiSchiavi: That’s an Amy thing. I just have stalkers following me. I wouldn’t know.

Amy Allan: Yes. Unfortunately, I had a very large learning lesson or, you know, from last season, and I became very ill. And I was – unfortunately, in my need to help, sometimes I go a little too far. And I was, not in a conscious way, but I was leaving myself open, and I had about 15 dead people attach to me. And I kind of was in denial for a while. And then, finally, I dealt with it. And I am being much better and standing at the proper boundaries.

But it was definitely a learning lesson that, , even somebody who has been a medium my entire life and doing this professionally for over 20 years, sometimes you need to check yourself. And so I definitely had a wakeup call. Yes. It can happen. It can happen. Be careful.

Emily Mentzer: Thank you guys very much.

Steve DiSchiavi: Thank you.

Amy Allan: Thank you too.

Michael Freeman: Hi Steve and Amy.

Steve DiSchiavi: Hey.

Amy Allan: Hi.

Michael Freeman: I am with a newspaper here in Georgetown, Texas, not too far from Coupland where you all went. And I was just kind of wondering on some details on, you know, what you all experienced out there.

Steve DiSchiavi: Well Coupland, we can’t really get into the details of exactly what happened. But there was a lot of – on my end, there was a lot of horrific tragedy associated with the property between floods and murders. They had a lot of history for a very small area that, when you look into it, you’re like, “Jesus, how the hell did these people survive it?” on top of the paranormal that this couple and their kids were going through.

Amy Allan: It was definitely a very intense case and a lot of concern for the living that are in that situation and dealing with it and, very much so with their children. And I guess that’s really all I can say.

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes. I got bit by a scorpion there too, so that didn’t help either, while I was filming on the front lawn. So, on top of the paranormal, they got some critters out there that aren’t doing any good.

Michael Freeman: Yes, you got to watch out for those. Well I know you all went to Cedar Park which is also near here. And…

Steve DiSchiavi: That was way back in Season 2.

Michael Freeman: I was kind of wondering, from your research, are there certain parts of the country that are more kind of hotbeds for activity or is it just kind of based on history or is it just kind of all over?

Amy Allan: Absolutely. Honestly, the worst states for paranormal activity right now are Kansas, Arizona — oh there’s one recently — Michigan. I think those are my top three.

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes. Pennsylvania seems to be another hotbed.

Michael Freeman: I guess in the central Texas that you’ve all been here a couple of times.

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes. We’ve been to Waxahachie. We’ve been to Abilene; Coupland. We just did another episode recently in Texas as well, so.

Amy Allan: Also New Mexico is pretty insane. And I’m just talking as far as actually seeing the dead like wandering the streets, those are the top places I’m referring to are like consistent onslaught of dead and entities that are just everywhere all the time. So I mean that’s kind of what I’m referring to.

Michael Freeman: Okay. Well that was all the questions I have. I’d get back in line and good luck to both of you all. Thank you.

Steve DiSchiavi: Thank you. I appreciate it.

Amy Allan: Thank you.

Abby Normal: Thank you. Fans have asked Amy if you are teaching any classes.

Amy Allan: I will be – well my Web site will be up very soon. I promise. I promise. I promise. It will be up within the next two months. I swear, I swear, I know I’ve said that a million times before.

And the workshops are actually due to start in 2016. And all the information will be on the Web site, as well as the signup forms and all of that. So I can’t wait.

I can’t wait to meet so many people and hopefully help people understand their gifts and get back into being – helping and guiding people. So I’m very excited.

Amy Allan: Athenodorus was actually one of the first paranormal investigators in Greece to actually document and do a scientific research into the paranormal.

Abby Normal: They’re an inspiration for you?

Amy Allan: Yes. Yes, he was. Yes, definitely.

Abby Normal: And Steve, what is the oddest job you ever held?

Steve DiSchiavi: You mean in my life?

Abby Normal: In your life.

Steve DiSchiavi: Geez. That’s a good question. I did a lot of things. I’m trying to think. You and your questions, Abby, they’re so weird.

Abby Normal: I’m trying to come up with things I haven’t heard in other interviews.

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes. I know. I mean that’s a tough one. You caught me by surprise on that one, the weirdest job. Probably, well not weird but I mean I was doing sanitation on a midnight when I was a kid, picking up garbage on a private sanitation route. You’d be surprised what you encounter at the midnight hours picking up trash.

Amy Allan: Ooh. I don’t want to think about that.

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes. I mean I was a kid too, during my misspent youth that you’re well aware of, Abby, so.

Abby Normal: All right. Well thank you. I appreciate the answers.

Steve DiSchiavi: You’ve got it.

Amy Allan: Thank you.

Dan Rice: Yes. Steve, of all the clients in the past who didn’t take your recommendations to move out or whatever and suffered further consequences, which case haunts you the most?

Steve DiSchiavi: I got to be honest with you. None of that stuff bothers me because, in my opinion, they got to live there. I mean it doesn’t bother me that they don’t take Amy’s advice. I know a lot of the fans get upset.

But listen, if I go to a doctor and he tells me I have cancer and I decide not to get treatment, who is that on? It’s not on the doctor. It’s on me. So, it doesn’t really concern me.

My thing is I did the best job I could. Amy did the best job that she could. If they didn’t follow the advice and they decided to stay and had a hard time of it, that’s on them. I mean I feel bad that they don’t take the advice but people have to do what they want to do. I have no right to be upset about it.

Dan Rice: Well what were some of the worst consequences that might have happened when they stayed on?

Steve DiSchiavi: Well that would be something Amy would be able to answer more. I mean some of these people – it keeps getting more intense. And I’ve got an email, “Things are getting bad here.” “Well, Amy told you to move. When she told you to do what you can’t see and you didn’t do it, there’s not much I could do for you.”

Amy Allan: Yes.

Steve DiSchiavi: What happens is that Amy tells them straight out, if you don’t move or if you don’t follow the instructions, the way she weighed the outcome, she tells them right off the bat, it’s going to get worse. And, inevitably, it does.

So, in the 90 cases that we’ve done, it’s hard to pinpoint one specific one. But, like I said, I’ve never seen them say, “Well we didn’t take Amy’s advice and everything’s fine now.” It’s always gotten worse.

Amy Allan: Yes.

Dan Rice: Amy, can you mention any consequences that we’re talking about here?

Amy Allan: Well, here is the thing. It’s that when Steve and I come in, typically the activity is going to increase. That’s something that happens because whether the dead people or the entities, they’re aware, and they know that we are there to resolve the issue.

And if people don’t take the advice, like my whole thing now is you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. And I do typically always tell the people, if you don’t do this, that’s your prerogative. That’s your decision.

But, typically, what’s going to happen is, it can be anything from getting physically assaulted, that’s going to increase; possible death; really intense things that can befall these people.

I think Steve and I, we do the best jobs that we possibly can to help. But we can’t force anybody to do anything they don’t want to do.

Dan Rice: Are you aware of deaths that have happened in the houses you’ve checked out?

Amy Allan: Honestly, I think, you know, it would be interesting to go back. And most of the people who don’t want to follow the advice typically fall off the radar.

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes. So, you know, even if we try to find out what’s going on with them, it kind of just goes by the wayside.

Dan Rice: All right. Well I appreciate it. I look more to – forward to seeing more shows.

Steve DiSchiavi: Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

Amy Allan: Thank you.

Tony Tellado: Hello again guys. I was just wondering, for both of you, what other cases do you have coming up this season?

Steve DiSchiavi: Well, for me, this is an interesting season that’s about to start airing. We had a lot of intense walks for Amy. But, on my end that I can only answer would be, I had a woman explaining what she was dealing with in her bedroom, explaining what she was seeing when she woke up, and when she did, she passed out right in my arms, during my interview.

Later on during the review, Amy had done a sketch and it was exactly what this woman had been telling me what she was seeing. And it was just eerie. It kind of hit home with this woman, obviously.

I had another guy that spent over $100,000 on his own money investigating a double murder from back in the ‘40s that was unsolved. I mean that’s pretty crazy stuff. And, he had his opinion. And, of course, I’ve investigated a homicide or two and I had my opinion. So, stuff like that, it’s pretty interesting. It’s a pretty eclectic season coming up.

Tony Tellado: Cool. And Amy, is there like a process that you go through after a walk to the kind of like, you know, a detox and kind of get that out of your system a little bit?

Amy Allan: Yes. And I’m being extremely vigilant this season; extremely. So now, what I do is I do my closing meditation. I have some kind of shaman, medicine woman, or reiki master come in and actually do a cleansing and a balancing and a detachment for me.

And I eat a lot. And I sleep a lot. And I’m trying to go out into nature so that I can really ground out. So yes. I’m still taking bathes and doing, my salt bathes, and burning my candles and sage, and crystals. I’m doing it all. So yes. And it seems to be working much better.

Tony Tellado: Well good for you. Guys, I’m looking forward to another great season. I mean through the last three or four seasons you guys are on quite a great roll. And it’s always interesting and always leaves you with more questions after you watch your show.

Steve DiSchiavi: I appreciate that Tony. This season’s going to be pretty intense. I think the fans are going to enjoy it.

Tony Tellado: Thank you again guys.

Amy Allan: Thank you.

Debe Branning: Hello Amy.

Amy Allan: Hi.

Debe Branning: I’ve been telling you for many years when you – we used to work on this Arizona through Tucson and all that.

Amy Allan: Oh, great!

Debe Branning: Yes. And I was wondering, when you did all your research in Arizona, what did you feel was the most intense place you’ve been? Because I’ve been investigating for the last 20 years as well, so we probably have been to some of the same places.

Amy Allan: We have. So, you know what? I would say, honestly, in Arizona, if you’re looking at the whole state, I would say that Tucson and south of Tucson, whether it’s southeast, southwest, south are…

Debe Branning: Yes. The Bisbee area?

Amy Allan: Oh yes, extremely active. It seems like Tucson and south, it just gets more and more active.

Debe Branning: Right.

Amy Allan: It’s just amazing. It really is. I mean – and the other thing about the shadow people in Tucson and how people literally are able to see – driving at night and see them.

Debe Branning: Yes.

Amy Allan: In the roads. Have you heard about that?

Debe Branning: Yes.

Amy Allan: Yes. It’s crazy.

Debe Branning: I live in the Phoenix area but I do have a second home down in Bisbee. And just being there, knowing people and stories, true stories of things that really happened, it is pretty bizarre down there.

Amy Allan: Yes. We spent quite a bit of time down in Bisbee and Tombstone and the Tucson area doing a lot of research for many years. Yes, a very fascinating place.

Debe Branning: And my other question is we’ve heard what you do after you’ve come from these investigations, what do you do to prepare your mind and your body? Do you do any kind of cleansing before you go into a location?

Amy Allan: I do now – I do a reiki protection.

Debe Branning: Okay.

Amy Allan: That’s new that I’ve added. And I do carry stones, several different types, depending on what my guides tell me to take that night. I do try to eat well that day. And I do about an hour’s worth of meditation work.

Steve Barton: Long time no speak. I feel like we just spoke, but anyway.

Amy Allan: Really?

Steve Barton: I know. It’s amazing. So Steve, one of the things that makes – first of all, you and Amy just have such great chemistry together. It’s almost like a brother and sister a bratty kind of thing at some point. It’s wonderful to see and it’s just hilarious at times.

But one of the things that makes the show so special is Steve’s no-bullshit attitude. And I was wondering how that attitude applies to the vetting process for cases. And I was wondering if you could describe what the process is to vet these cases that are brought to you.

Steve DiSchiavi: Well, some of it, I really can’t get into publicly. But my biggest thing is I don’t want somebody that’s a B-list act that’s trying to get back on TV, obviously. I don’t want somebody that’s been arrested for fraud or, somebody that’s used to duping the public.

But, it’s hard to interview somebody on the phone and get a feel for them. So I’ve been doing a lot of these video conferences where I can get to see them. You know this Skype type thing? Which – it helps me tremendously.

Obviously, you’re never going to know somebody 100% no matter how well you vet. I mean we’ve seen that in politics – It doesn’t matter how good you vet somebody. Something’s going to come across – slip through.

The main thing for us is that you see where we go. It’s middle-of-the-road, people that we’re not talking about some, people that are on Broadway and, high-saluting (highfalutin) money people. But although we do have some clients that are pretty well off, it doesn’t mean they don’t have problems.

We just try to get the regular, everyday person that couldn’t be afforded the help that we can give them. You know what I mean? People of means can get help any way they want. People that we go to, really, have nobody to turn to. They don’t know what to do. So when I do the vetting, that will come across when you see the desperation in these people.

Steve Barton: That’s really wonderful. And it has to be very rewarding for you guys to be able to help somebody. I mean it’s one thing to be doing what you love and being on TV and all that. But the fact that you guys get to actually perform a service that helps people, it has to be incredibly rewarding.

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes. I mean for me it is. I mean I’m sure it is much for Amy. I had a career where I dealt with a lot of misery that was never resolved. At least now, what I do with Amy’s help, obviously, it’s a little bit more of a closure or had a closure for the most part.

Steve Barton: Sure. And, I’ve got a couple of questions for Amy that I’m just dying to ask. One of them – and these are just things I’ve always wondered. And I speak to Zak from Ghost Adventures and all those guys. And I always ask them the same question.

And the question I had is when did ghosts start becoming a thing? And what I mean by that even though it sounds kind of weird is there is a plethora of supernatural shows on the air. And you guys have absolutely one of the – absolute best of them in terms of feeling rooted in reality.

And what I had always wondered is when people go to these locations, they always seem to make contact with either some of the people that had lived there or were associated with it. But what about like cavemen ghosts? You know what that means? When did ghosts start becoming like audible to the point? You know what I mean?

It’s kind of a hard question to ask but I’m just really curious. How come no one has really run across like an ancient ghost or, something like that?

Amy Allan: I think everybody has their theories. I know that – when I was living overseas, I was staying in Vienna at one point and I could hear screaming from the catacombs and the courtyard in there. I was walking at night through my house and could feel people’s feet touching my head.

And I found out that the plague victims had been put there – there had been the whole religious crusades, and apparently, at one point, there’s has been a Catholic church or something, and they had hung all of the folks that were attending the mass.

So what I’ve encountered, as far as how old, I can say I’ve encountered residual – very, very old residual information, obviously going back by about 1500s. But I have not ever seen like a dinosaur or a Neanderthal or anything like that.

And I would love to go to Asia or to Africa and really see how far back can we go and perceive the dead? My theory is that, eventually, at some point, people do work out their issues and move on or some people just dissipate.

Steve Barton: And that is absolutely the best answer I’ve ever gotten to that question. So thank you.

Amy Allan: Thank you.

Steve Barton: Really quick, I have one last question then I’m out of here. So, just for argument’s sake, when Steve comes to you and says, “Hey Amy, I’m thinking about buying this new house,” does he have you do a walkthrough first?

Amy Allan: Well he’s never done that, so.

Steve Barton: It’s because if you were my friend and I was buying real estate, I’d be like, “Hey, Amy, check this shit out over here for me, please.”

Steve DiSchiavi: You know what it is? I check out the neighborhood. I don’t worry about the inside. That’s my main thing.

Amy Allan: I just check it out and make sure no crazy murders were taken place there and all those kind of stuff. So, I think it’s pretty preventative care there.

Steve DiSchiavi: Well look at it this way, if the show ever goes south, you have a total career of doing that. You’d be like the first one.

Steve Barton: Guys, again, thank you so much for your time and much love.

Steve DiSchiavi: Thank you. I appreciate it.

Amy Allan: Thank you.

Erica Meadows: Hi. My name is Erica Meadows. I’m with The Hollywood Times. And I love your show very much. And I actually am a big fan. And, when I babysit, my friend’s kids next door, they get excited because we can watch. It’s The Dead Files and mommy doesn’t know.

Steve DiSchiavi: That’s great.

Erica Meadows: So they actually were very interested in – and this is coming from a 9-year-old.

Amy Allan: Okay.

Erica Meadows: What is going to be new about the brand new season? What can they look forward to? Because, they want to make sure they’re not going to be too scared. And, it’s going to be fun. How different is it? I mean they’re not scared to watch the show. They’re just very excited and they want to know what’s coming up.

Steve DiSchiavi: That’s a tough one to ask and it’s from a 9-year-old. I mean the show is, on the outside looking in, I guess you’ll consider it scary. I mean, while I’m doing it, I don’t consider it scary. I look at it as an investigation.

But, I think the season premiere, us being in Montego Bay, that’s going to be pretty interesting because that’s a backdrop you’ve never seen on our show before.

I mean it’s probably one of the most beautiful islands I’ve ever been to, interviewing the different and interesting people other than the normal, running to know the experts that I normally would interview, so that episode is going to be pretty interesting.

And throughout the whole season, on my end, there’s a lot of great history in regards to cases that – open homicide cases that have happened.

One even touched on a serial killer, the Cleveland butcher, in Pennsylvania, so there’s a lot of stuff like that. And I mean Amy had a tough season as far as the walks went. So I don’t know if you want them to watch all that but it’s going to be…

Amy Allan: Yes. It’s pretty scary.

Erica Meadows: Well I pretty much have watched them before. And, we’re watching when it plays over again and stuff like that, or when they come over, I’ve already watched it in TiVo, and I know.

I’m pretty bit cautious but they love the history part and they love how the history is proven when Amy comes and just proves everything right. And it’s really – just really intense, I guess.

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes. I mean we were talking about it earlier how every season that we do, we keep saying, “Oh, how much more intense could it get?” And it just seems to get more and more intense as the seasons go on.

Amy Allan: So much; so much more.

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes. I mean to the point of, I was mentioning earlier, I had a client actually collapsed in my arms talking about what she was going through. So that kind of stuff.

Erica Meadows: So what is the one thing you both want people to know about your show? So when I write about it in the paper that I can tell people, “This is what they want to know. This is what this show is about. This is where their heart is. This is where they’re coming from.”

Steve DiSchiavi: Well, you know…

Amy Allan: Education. I’m really hoping that people are learning more and more about how to do a correct and proper investigation, how to help both the living and the dead, to have respect for the dead, and just learning different protective measures that they can take.

Erica Meadows: Great. Amazing. Steve?

Steve DiSchiavi: On my end, it was basically – I just want people to know that somebody’s willing to listen. If anybody is going to be a skeptic, I’m a New York City homicide detective, born and raised in Brooklyn. I mean I was raised that everything is bull. Everything is a baloney.

So, for me, it’s my way of saying, “Listen, if I can embrace this and want to help people just to know that it’s coming from a good place, it’s coming from my heart that I really want to help these people.”

Erica Meadows: Perfect. Thank you so much.

Steve DiSchiavi: Thank you.

Amy Allan: Thank you. Be safe.

Emily Mentzer: One more question for you guys. Amy, sometimes you look so shocked to hear what Steve is reporting to the very end at the reveal. What’s so shocking about it? Because you’ve seen the thing and Steve has done the research, and then you just looked like, “Oh my goodness. This is very true.”

Amy Allan: Well, to be perfectly honest, I will never stop testing myself ever. I am an open-minded skeptic and that’s why I do things the way that I do them. That’s why, initially, when I began working as a scientist, as a parapsychologist doing research and testing people who claim to have abilities, so I’m always a skeptic. I always proceed as an open-minded skeptic.

And so, whether it’s myself or somebody else that they put through these walks and such, it is. It’s always like the one thing I do want to relate is that no person who’s a sensitive knows or understands completely how the hell this all works.

And so it is always quite really amazing, like, “Huh? How on earth is this still happening?” Like, “Where does this come from? Why can I do this? How does it all work?” And that’s something I think that any sensitive is going through and has gone through. And yes.

Emily Mentzer: Okay. Thank you very much.

Steve DiSchiavi: Thank you.

Amy Allan: Thank you.
Abby Normal: Two fan questions just came in. For Amy, do you have spirit guides who stay for only a while? And what does it feel like working with a new guide?

Amy Allan: Oh no. My guides, I work with the same guides. I’m probably too much of a paranoid person to be cool with new guides showing up. I’ve worked with different dead people, good dead people who might show up and say, want to guide me through a walk.

Just on a recent case, I had an entity that stayed with me the entire time. And I’m cool with that. I definitely – I take it with a grain of salt because I don’t know them and I haven’t worked with them before, and I don’t know if I can believe them or not. But as far as my guides are concerned, no they’re consistent.

Abby Normal: That’s a good point. The other question was when different types of entities show up, do you get a different taste in your mouth or other physical reaction. And if so, does this help determine what the entity is?

Amy Allan: I don’t know. I’m very fortunate that I don’t smell things. I know a lot of people will have that sense that they get sulfur and things like that. That’s very rare for me.

No, I just see them. So I mean I don’t know. I see them. I feel them, as far as like if they’re sick or, if they got shot, things like that. But yes, I don’t know. Smells, no, not so much.

Abby Normal: Okay. All right. Thank you very much. And Steve, thank you for your service.

Steve DiSchiavi: Thanks Abby. I appreciate that.

Amy Allan: Thank you.

Abby Normal: Thank you.
Stephanie DePietro: Okay. Well that’s all we have time for. Thank you everybody. Thanks Amy and Steve. Thanks for joining us today. Once again, the new season of The Dead Files, Season 7, premieres next Saturday, April 25, at 10:00 pm Eastern and Pacific on Travel Channel.

]]>https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2015/04/24/the-dead-files-season-7-interview-with-amy-allan-and-steve-dischiavi-long-version/feed/0Dead FilesyesimwomanThe Dead Files Season 7 Interview with Amy Allan and Steve DiSchiavihttps://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2015/04/24/the-dead-files-season-7-interview-with-amy-allan-and-steve-dischiavi/
https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2015/04/24/the-dead-files-season-7-interview-with-amy-allan-and-steve-dischiavi/#respondFri, 24 Apr 2015 04:55:55 +0000http://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/?p=359On Saturday, April 25, The Dead Files returns for its 7th season. The Dead Files is a paranormal investigation show with a twist. Steve DiSchiavi is a retired New York homicide investigator that is paired up with Amy Allan who is a physical medium. Steve DiSchiavi researches the facts and history behind the selected location and Amy Allan talks to the dead to understand the paranormal activity directly from the source.

This season the team leaves the United States for their first investigation at a tropical resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica. To find out more about season 7 we join Steve and Amy with a group of inquisitive reporters.
Steve DiSchiavi: Hi guys. Yes, the season premiere is pretty exciting for us because we’ve never been out of the country doing an episode. This one was in Montego Bay, Jamaica which is pretty exciting because I’ve never been there.
I heard a lot of spooky stuff about Jamaica, but I didn’t realize they had such a rich history as far as uprising and slavery and everything that went with it. So it was pretty interesting to investigate all that.

Amy Allan: Hi everyone. Yes. It was absolutely a fascinating location to do because it’s so beautiful there and yet there’s this darkness that comes from the history of all of the things that happened there and the horrors that befell so many people over such a long period of time.
And so it’s really strange to go to this beautiful island and then do the walk and see all of these horrifying things that happened. Then to go to reveal and learn that it really was just terrible. So it was very shocking; a very shocking case.

Tony Tellado: What’s it like to investigate outside of the country, and particularly for you Steve, because usually you deal with the local authorities in the US? Is it a little different working with them in a different country?

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes Tony. It was a little difficult. Logistically, it was a nightmare. But what I found interesting is how passionate everybody in that country is about their history.
They went through a lot in that country. And everybody wants to talk about it. And everybody has an opinion about what happened in that country. So it was pretty exciting.
And trying to get people to talk about it wasn’t the hard part. It was just getting the facts straight because there was a lot of rumor in that country that’s not really factual.

Tony Tellado: Amy, for your walkthrough, did you experience anything different, being that it was a different environment than you were used to investigate?

Amy Allan: Yes. I definitely encountered individuals that were from time periods that were much further in the past historically than what I’m used to dealing with in America. You know, these people were ancient compared to the entities that I encounter in America most often. And so that was interesting.
And also, just seeing all the trials and tribulations that people went through. And just also the entities that were there that were non-human were very different and very fascinating.
And there’s the spiritual element that people still practice there, and that’s different than in America. They’re much more open there to dealing with these things and appreciating their existence. So that was fascinating.

Tony Tellado: Wow. Thanks guys. It sounds like a really cool episode.

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes. It is. It’s an interesting episode because of the fact that, where we investigated, they had a story they’ve been telling for years.
They were a little annoyed with me because they weren’t telling the right story. It was actually a fabrication of a couple of different stories that was totally untrue. So I think I annoyed them a little bit with my investigation by bringing out the truth.

Dan Rice: Amy, could you describe the various types of spiritual entities you encounter like demons and poltergeists or something like that?

Amy Allan: I would say that I am noticing that there are entities that we’ll say are demons or devils. They seem to be becoming more prevalent.
And I call them that because that’s something linguistically that the public can relate to, those types of names, demons and devils, equating to something that’s evil and has never been human.
And poltergeist is actually a living person and extends from a living agent. It’s someone who has psychokinetic abilities and can affect their environment. So those are a couple of the different types of entities that I encounter.

Dan Rice: With this growing number of evil entities, do you think that the world is just becoming more evil?

Amy Allan: I think that people are just becoming more aware of things that are influencing them. And a lot of people talk about the veil becoming thinner and all of this. I think that is just more of a heightened awareness among living people.

Dan Rice: Do we all exist on the same realm or is this a case of overlapping dimensions?

Amy Allan: No. There’s definitely different dimensions. Absolutely.

Abby Normal: Congratulations on hitting 90 episodes.

Steve DiSchiavi: Thank you.

Abby Normal: What I wanted to know is if you were in another country, Amy, would you be able to understand them? Do they speak English in the afterlife?

Amy Allan: Actually, I have encountered both. I’ve come up against dead people who basically refuse to have a translation take place. So they will just speak their language and there will be a communication breakdown. But, more often than not, there is a type of translation that takes place. And I think it’s via guides who are able to play translator for us.
So yes, once in a while, you get one that is just not happening. They’re not going to – it’s not going to happen. It just depends on the situation.

Abby Normal: Is there a real efficient way to send a shadow person on its way?

Amy Allan: Not in my experience, no. There are many other people out there who’d say, “Oh, you can get rid of them in this and that.” But, typically, if they’re easily gotten rid of, they probably weren’t really shadow people. They were probably just dead people.
And, shadow people, you’re dealing with beings that are probably inter-dimensional, and they typically will attach themselves to a person or a location. And I’ve never seen them be easily removed without them coming back.

It’s a completely different type of entity than a dead person or, demonic. These are intelligent beings that are utilizing portals. So it’s just very different.

Abby Normal: Do you have a take on why people get scratched by unseen entities and it will usually be three scratches?

Amy Allan: Well there’s different interpretations there. Some people will say it’s the trinity, the sign of the trinity, and therefore it’s demonic which, I’m not saying, if it is or not. If I’m not doing the case, I don’t know.
And then there’s also the power of suggestion where you have an actual poltergeist case. Therefore, the person is doing it to themselves. They may have a religious belief system. And so they’re inflicting that upon themselves and in kind of a religious manner with the three – the trinity.
So it depends on the situation. I can’t ever say unless I’m involved in that case, what’s going on, if it’s a poltergeist or if it’s actually demonic.

Mallory Devenback: I was wondering how you decide to go to these different locations such as Falconer, New York.

Steve DiSchiavi: Well a lot of that falls on me and the producers and what we go through when we vet. Amy really doesn’t have input in that because she can’t know where she’s going obviously.
Most of the time, the way things have been going this last three, four seasons, we seem to be getting a lot more submissions where people actually were being physically touched. And a lot of times children are being affected.

So that seems to be one of the things I like to hop on is these kids can’t protect themselves. And the parents are having a tough time trying to figure things out. So, for me, that’s a red flag that I want to really look into it first.
You know, we get a lot of submissions where people say, “I got a friendly ghost in my house. I just want to know what’s going on.” And, for us, we’re not going to waste our time doing that. Our job is to help people that’s going through a tough time.
We have thousands of submissions and most of them are just, “Well, I don’t know who’s in my house. I’m not really sure. But they don’t bother us. We just want to find out. I mean that’s all well and good but, that’s not what we do. We’re kind of like the A-team for people that are going through a tough time.
So, when we do look at a case, it’s mostly what the intensity is. In cases that we’re doing now we would never… In cases that we did in Season 1 and 2 we would never do now because the stakes aren’t that high for these people. It seems that the longer the show is going on, the more people are willing to open up and say, “Well listen, I’m going through this crazy stuff. We’re being physically touched. And I need your help. And at least I know you’ll listen.” So that’s been an aspect of how we’re choosing which cases to take.
Emily Mentzer: I have a question for you guys about your experience in Independence, Oregon. What can you tell me about your experience at the farm without giving away anything for the show?

Steve DiSchiavi: Well I could tell you one thing about Independence, Oregon that’s – the stuff these guys were telling me that was going on, I thought I was being punk’d because I never heard anything like it. And basically, I thought they were full of it. I mean the stuff was absolutely bizarre. But it all turned out to be pretty much on point which is kind of scary if you live there.

Michael Freeman: Are there certain parts of the country that are more kind of hotbeds for activity or is it just kind of based on history or is it just kind of all over?

Amy Allan: Absolutely. Honestly, the worst states for paranormal activity right now are Kansas, Arizona and Michigan. I think those are my top three.

Steve DiSchiavi: Yes. Pennsylvania seems to be another hotbed.

Amy Allan: Also New Mexico is pretty insane. And I’m just talking as far as actually seeing the dead like wandering the streets, those are the top places I’m referring to are like consistent onslaught of dead and entities that are just everywhere all the time. So I mean that’s kind of what I’m referring to.

Abby Normal: Fans have asked Amy if you are teaching any classes.

Amy Allan: I will be – well my Web site will be up very soon. I promise. I promise. I promise. It will be up within the next two months. I swear, I swear, I know I’ve said that a million times before.

And the workshops are actually due to start in 2016. And all the information will be on the Web site, as well as the signup forms and all of that. So I can’t wait. I can’t wait to meet so many people and hopefully help people understand their gifts and get back into being – helping and guiding people. So I’m very excited.

Amy Allan: Athenodorus was actually one of the first paranormal investigators in Greece to actually document and do a scientific research into the paranormal.

Abby Normal: They’re an inspiration for you?

Amy Allan: Yes. Yes, he was. Yes, definitely.

Tony Tellado: Amy, is there like a process that you go through after a walk to the kind of like, you know, a detox and kind of get that out of your system a little bit?

Amy Allan: Yes. And I’m being extremely vigilant this season; extremely. So now, what I do is I do my closing meditation. I have some kind of shaman, medicine woman, or reiki master come in and actually do a cleansing and a balancing and a detachment for me.

And I eat a lot. And I sleep a lot. And I’m trying to go out into nature so that I can really ground out. So yes. I’m still taking bathes and doing, my salt bathes, and burning my candles and sage, and crystals. I’m doing it all. So yes. And it seems to be working much better.

Debe Branning: What do you do to prepare your mind and your body? Do you do any kind of cleansing before you go into a location?

Amy Allan: I do now – I do a reiki protection. That’s new that I’ve added. And I do carry stones, several different types, depending on what my guides tell me to take that night. I do try to eat well that day. And I do about an hour’s worth of meditation work.

Steve Barton: I was wondering if you could describe what the process is to vet these cases that are brought to you.

Steve DiSchiavi: My biggest thing is I don’t want somebody that’s a B-list actor that’s trying to get back on TV, obviously. I don’t want somebody that’s been arrested for fraud or, somebody that’s used to duping the public.
But, it’s hard to interview somebody on the phone and get a feel for them. So I’ve been doing a lot of these video conferences where I can get to see them. It helps me tremendously.
We just try to get the regular, everyday person that couldn’t be afforded the help that we can give them. People of means can get help any way they want. People that we go to, really, have nobody to turn to. They don’t know what to do. So when I do the vetting, that will come across when you see the desperation in these people.

Abby Normal: Amy, do you have spirit guides who stay for only a while? And what does it feel like working with a new guide?

Amy Allan: Oh no. I work with the same guides. I’m probably too much of a paranoid person to be cool with new guides showing up. I’ve worked with different dead people, good dead people who might show up and say, want to guide me through a walk.
Just on a recent case, I had an entity that stayed with me the entire time. And I’m cool with that. I take it with a grain of salt because I don’t know them and I haven’t worked with them before, and I don’t know if I can believe them or not. But as far as my guides are concerned, no they’re consistent.

Abby Normal: That’s a good point. The other question was when different types of entities show up, do you get a different taste in your mouth or other physical reaction. And if so, does this help determine what the entity is?

Amy Allan: I’m very fortunate that I don’t smell things. I know a lot of people will have that sense that they get sulfur and things like that. That’s very rare for me. No, I just see them. I feel them, as far as like if they’re sick or, if they got shot, things like that. Smells, no, not so much.

Abby Normal: Thank you very much. And Steve, thank you for your service.

Steve DiSchiavi: Thanks Abby. I appreciate that.
Stephanie DePietro: Thank you everybody. Thanks Amy and Steve. Thanks for joining us today. Once again, the new season of The Dead Files, Season 7, premieres next Saturday, April 25, at 10:00 pm Eastern and Pacific on Travel Channel.

The above interview has been edited from its original version. A more complete edition is available on my website at: https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/
SEASON PREMIERE: “Guardians of the Dead – Montego Bay, Jamaica” – Saturday, April 25 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT
Steve DiSchiavi and Amy Allan travel to Montego Bay, Jamaica, in their first international investigation to explore a deadly legend and frightening claims of paranormal activity at a tropical resort.

“Deranged – Falconer, New York” – Saturday, May 2 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT
Steve DiSchiavi and Amy Allan travel to Falconer, N.Y. to investigate reports of violent paranormal activity at a frightened family’s home where several previous residents have died. DiSchiavi discovers that a former resident struggled with insanity, as the home remained plagued by decades of heartbreak and death, while Allan encounters multiple spirits capable of inflicting severe pain on the living.

“House of Mirrors – Independence, OR” – Saturday, May 9 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT
When a desperate couple fears for their grandson’s safety, Steve DiSchiavi and Amy Allan travel to Independence, Ore. to investigate reports of horrifying paranormal activity. As DiSchiavi discovers the disturbing history of the home and the property, including the original owner’s possible suicide and a violent feud between neighbors, Allan faces off against dangerously mischievous entities capable of ruining the lives of the living.

“The Instigator – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania” – Saturday, May 16 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT
Steve DiSchiavi and Amy Allan investigate a Pittsburgh home where a terrified family is being tormented by a dangerous entity. DiSchiavi uncovers evidence that the former property owner suffered a life of tragedy, including the death of multiple family members, while Allan confronts several clashing spirits including a tormenting entity she refers to as “The Instigator.”

]]>https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2015/04/24/the-dead-files-season-7-interview-with-amy-allan-and-steve-dischiavi/feed/0Dead FilesyesimwomanThe Dead Files_Season 7 Premiere_Retired Homicide Detective Steve DiSchiavi interviews a Rose Hall Great House employee about her experiencesThe Dead Files_Falconer, NY_Physical medium Amy AllanThe Dead Files_Season 7 Premiere_Coming together for the first time during the investigation, Amy Allan and Steve DiSchiavi reveal their separate findings to the clientsThe Dead Files_ Season 7 Premiere_Medium Amy Allan works with local artist Jeffrey Perry to sketch her visions during her walk throughThe Dead Files_Falconer, NY_Amy Allan and Steve DiSchiavi, coming together for the first time during their investigation, reveal their findings to the clientPandora Boxx: From Little Michael to Cooter!https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2015/04/18/pandora-boxx-from-little-michael-to-cooter/
https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2015/04/18/pandora-boxx-from-little-michael-to-cooter/#respondSat, 18 Apr 2015 21:03:03 +0000http://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/?p=353Oct. 9, 2011
I am here today with the Star of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 2 and 2 time MVP of RuPaul’s Drag U, the always entertaining Pandora Boxx!
Welcome Pandora!

Professor Boxx from Drag U

PB: Thank you!
AN: What was it like to be Little Pandora?
PB: What was it like to be little Pandora? Well little Pandora didn’t think that she needed a lot of makeup when she first started. It was more about having fun, hanging out, being someone else and playing a character. Drag queens attract a lot of attention so that’s what it was about in the beginning. Now it’s a career. It changed.
AN: Let me ask it a different way. What was your childhood like?
PB: Little Pandora was little Michael. My childhood was like a mixed bag of nuts really. There was some good and some bad. I think the same with anyone’s childhood. I lived in a town called Jamestown, New York. That is where I was born. Life there was actually good and fun and I loved all my memories. I had a lot of friends and I really liked school. It was a couple of blocks so I walked to school. It was a great time.
Then we moved to another town called Olean, NY. That was a little more difficult because I wasn’t used to being picked on. I was picked on in school for being different and effeminate. So that kind of added a different layer to everything else. I don’t really think that it’s just a few. I think that everyone that’s gay that’s a little bit effeminate get’s picked on. I think it’s more the fear of people not being masculine. There is something in the country and world that if you don’t fill this masculine form then there is something wrong with you.
AN: Do you have any brothers or sisters?
PB: I have a younger sister. She was born when we lived in Jamestown so she is like 5 years younger than me.
AN: When did they start picking on you?
PB: When I was in the second grade, about seven or so. We switched schools in the middle of the school year too so that’s tough to begin with. It’s tough to move to a new city when you are moving into a place where kids have all been around each other for several years.
I didn’t think that I was that abnormal but when I went to high school that is how I started to feel. I felt like I was different and I was made to feel different by some of the students. I should clarify that it was some, it wasn’t all the students. I did make friends. I did have friends. When you think back you kind of think of both the good and bad. Sometimes the bad can tend to outweigh the good because it’s the stuff that sticks with you a long time.
AN: What would they do?
PB: It was really an everyday occurrence of saying something like, “Is that a boy or a girl?” Or I would be called fag or gay. I didn’t even know what it was. I didn’t even know what the word meant. I didn’t understand it and so to me it just became this bad thing that I didn’t want to be. I didn’t really understand it.
AN: Did your parents know?
PB: They did not know because I never told anyone. I was really kind of painfully shy at one point. When it started to happen more I didn’t want to tell anybody. I was just embarrassed that I was being picked on so I didn’t want to tell anyone.
AN: Were you good in school? Did you get good grades?
PB: Yeah. I actually was really good in school. I had good grades. I was in all of the advanced classes. I think it started in Jr. High that I was a grade ahead of everyone in certain classes. The only thing was I didn’t want to go to school because I would get picked on. So that kind of set my grades back a little bit more than they should have been. I still did well. I don’t think it suffered but because I didn’t want to go to school a lot of times I missed a lot of stuff.
AN: How were you at sports?
PB: I like to say that I was athletically declined!
I was not very coordinated, kind of awkward. Not really comfortable in my own body and that does not translate well to sports.
AN: Dating in High School?
PB: I was kind of A-sexual for a while. Then I used to date girls in High School because I just thought that is what you do. I really liked girls and I thought that I wanted to date them but I really just wanted to do their hair!
AN: Did you go to your prom?
PB: I did go to my prom. I went to my prom and went to a couple other proms. I went to five proms. I didn’t wear a dress.
AN: I wore a tux to one…
PB: I knew that something was different and I knew that something was going on. I really didn’t know anybody that was gay and we never talked about gay. If they did it was kind of like they might make a joke; not that I remember them making a lot of jokes about it but it just was never talked about. I was just wasn’t exposed to it so I really didn’t think it was something you could be. To me it was something that people made fun of me for and I didn’t want to be it.
AN: What year did you graduate?
PB: Abraham Lincoln was president so…
AN: I’m sorry. I asked a lady her age. How rude of me!
What motivated you to get into drag? Or when were you first exposed to drag?
PB: I was always into theater and that was kind of like my savior from getting picked on and not feeling like I didn’t belong. When I was in the theater group and getting praise I really did feel like I belonged. I felt like I belonged somewhere. I felt like I came to life when I was on stage. I could be somebody else. I could escape.
AN: Did you do that in High School?
PB: I started when I was in grade school. When I was in the sixth grade I wrote my own play and we put it on for the whole school. So that was my first experience with theater.
AN: Woo Hoo!
PB: Yeah!

And so it was an escape. I didn’t really like myself so I could be somebody else that I liked. It was when I graduated High school, around that time is when I saw a drag show because one of my friends actually came out. That is when I started to think, oh, maybe I’m gay too. We went to a gay bar and it was just down hill from there!
I saw my first drag show shortly after that. It was at an outdoor festival in Rochester, New York. The queen there was Darienne Lake who is one of my best friends to this day. I saw her perform and I was just blown away. I was like, “I want to do that.” It’s like being a rock star. Everyone is paying attention to you. You get to wear all of these glamorous clothes. I was like, “What’s not to love?”
AN: Would you say that Darienne Lake is your drag mother?
PB: There is an interesting story about my drag mother. Generally the drag mother is either the first person that puts you in drag or somebody that has really helped you and made you grow. In that aspect there are a lot of queens that I kind of feel added and helped me. Everybody was really supportive. I never really think I have a drag mother because I don’t really have someone that mothered me into doing it. It was just friends and we would all help each other. Darienne definitely helped me with a lot with makeup and is an amazing performer. Darienne is kind of like my adoptive mother.
The first person that put me in drag was Heather Skye and I was dating her ex-boyfriend. He really liked me at the time. We were at a drag party at her apartment. We went and I brought the boyfriend and I didn’t realize that they really weren’t totally exes.
AN: Oh. Ooooh.
PB: It became a huge debacle. Heather and I hated each other for years and then we finally made up. I said to her, I said, “You know if it wasn’t for this stupid a**hole we probably would have been friends in the beginning.” She’s like yeah, I think so. It is kind of sad because she did just recently pass away.
AN: I’m sorry.
PB: We are having a reunion show for this club that we used to work at in Rochester and it is kind of like a benefit for her because it was really sudden.
AN: When did the name Pandora come about?
PB: The very first night that I did drag. I mean that was my drag name. I had a few that I was thinking of and that is the one that I wanted to go with. It had the same amount of letters as Madonna in it. They both end in an A. I really liked the story of Pandora and I was into Greek Mythology at the time. You kind of didn’t know what to expect with a name like that. That’s what I wanted.
AN: We never know what to expect and that is one of the things we love about you!
PB: I never know what to expect sometimes either. Sometimes my mouth just starts going and I’m like, “What did I just say?”
AN: What tips do you have for the kids in school that are being bullied?
PB: The way that they feel is the way that almost every kid feels in school because everybody is getting bullied or picked on for something. The ones that are picking on them really aren’t secure or happy in their own life.
There are usually three reasons why somebody is a bully. They are either not happy because of whatever reason. Maybe they are abused at home or they are not happy with themselves or they don’t like themselves. Maybe they are ignorant and they were raised around an ignorant family which always should go first. Or they are gay themselves. Don’t focus on that one. Don’t live out that fantasy because that repressed homosexuality is a very deadly thing.
AN: It is a good way to get beat up.
PB: Oh yeah.
If you realize where it is coming from then you can deal with it a little bit better. It is still going to suck, but the bottom line is that life just does suck sometimes. It just does. I don’t know any gay person that didn’t get picked on in school.
AN: Do you think that it gets better?
PB: Umm…
AN: As your song Cooter is climbing the charts, do you think life gets better?
PB: I think life only gets better if you make it better. I think it is a very blanket statement to say, “Oh it is definitely going to get better.” It’s not going to get better if you wallow in self pity, no. It is certainly not going to get better if you try and kill yourself because that is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Teen years are very tough. It was tough for me. It was really tough for me. I got through it. Everybody goes through a lot. I enjoy my life now. I enjoy having a song called Cooter. It is available on iTunes and Amazon.com
I think that shows what you can accomplish if you really want to. I was somebody that was picked on and harassed not only for being gay but for being effeminate. Now that is my career. I truly was and they can suck on it!
AN: When does your video drop?
PB: My music video for Cooter has been banned from U.S. television. It will be released exclusively on pandoraboxx.com on October 18, 2011.
AN: I can’t wait. I hear it’s Cooterlishious!
Part two of this interview has Pandora Boxx answering fans questions. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/9015583/pandora_boxx_answers_questions_from.html?cat=33
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]]>https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2015/04/18/pandora-boxx-from-little-michael-to-cooter/feed/0Pandora Boxx vinylyesimwomanProfessor Boxx from Drag UPandora boxxPrince Poppycock is Alive and Kicking so Get Out of the Way!https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2015/04/16/prince-poppycock-is-alive-and-kicking-so-get-out-of-the-way/
https://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/2015/04/16/prince-poppycock-is-alive-and-kicking-so-get-out-of-the-way/#commentsThu, 16 Apr 2015 13:52:37 +0000http://theabbynormal.wordpress.com/?p=348Prince Poppycock has to be my favorite contestant from all of the seasons of America’s Got Talent. I spoke with John Quale who is the flamboyant Prince Poppycock and found out a little more about this wonderful talent. The following interview is from 2011 after Prince Poppycock had completed the America’s Got Talent tour.
A: Today I’m talking with John Quale who became nationally known last year as a finalist on “America’s Got Talent” as Prince Poppycock.
Happy belated birthday!
JQ: Thank you very much!
A: I saw the outpouring of birthday wishes on your webpage.
JQ: I certainly got a lot of birthday wishes this year. It was very sweet of everyone. I had a very nice birthday.
A: It’s been about a year since I first saw you perform and became smitten with your character Prince Poppycock whom I think would’ve made Liberace himself stand up and cheer.
(JQ Laughs)
How did your time on “America’s Got Talent” change your life?
JQ: Well, it changed everything. I was working two jobs before the competition, and then I was able to leave those two jobs and just focus on performing and recording. I had amazing opportunities to perform both nationally and internationally. In March I went to Italy for Carnival and performed at Il Ballo Doge, which was an amazing experience.
A: Can this video be seen on your website?
JQ: It is on my YouTube site. I have not finished posting all of the footage from Italy. It is still being compiled.
A: Great! Something to look forward too!
Speaking of videos, it was your video of “It Gets Better” that made me want to interview you. I enjoyed your video and appreciate that you put that out there.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SjZ9wfVUo4)
JQ: Thank you.
A: Would you please describe what your early school years were like?
JQ: I moved around quite a bit from school to school and I think that anyone’s who’s done that knows it’s difficult to fit in with groups of kids that have been together for years upon years. I did it repeatedly all the way until I dropped out of high school. So I always had a very difficult time trying to make new friends. By the time I entered junior high and high school I had basically given up on being friends with any of the popular kids. I was a theater geek. I hung out with all the math and science geeks. For the most part I was just a loner. I really didn’t have too many close friends during high school.
By the end of high school I was dying my hair all kinds of crazy colors, piercing my ears, my nose, my lip and my tongue. Just much more interested in locking myself away in my room or skipping school and then going into the city because I did receive a lot of hazing. I went to high school in New England. They called it hazing not bullying. To avoid that I tended to skip school a lot. I ended up dropping out when I was 17. I got my GED and went to college in Chicago. I did complete my bachelor’s.
A: Your bachelor’s is in what subject?
JQ: Marketing.
A: When did you go into entertainment?
JQ: I went into entertainment when I was about eight years old and never stopped. I was a vocal performance major, a composition major and I was an acting major at college as well. I switched four times and ended up receiving my bachelors in marketing with the concentration of public-relations.
When I graduated from college I came to Los Angeles to work in the record industry. That was my master plan: to come here and pursue a recording career. I wanted to record under my own name. I worked for Capitol records and EMI for about two years while recording a demo in my apartment. Some of those songs are on the “WorldvieW” album. Then I ended up getting downsized from their when the record industry collapsed I did the whole Hollywood thing: waiting tables, got an agent and did commercial auditions for about two years, but nothing really came of it. Then I worked for my good friend Michael Schmidt as an assistant stylist for some of the top bands and singers in the world. I’ve had my hands on pieces of clothing that we made for all of the biggest divas in the world: Madonna, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, Fergie, Rihanna and the list goes on and on. I was also working as a shop clerk at a latex boutique. That is where I was before “America’s Got Talent” started.
A: regarding the organization “Rise up and Shout,” what was your experience like and what was your motivation for writing the song of the same name?
JQ: in 2006 I was part of “The Beastly Bombing” the hit musical here in LA. I was asked to be part of it (Rise up and Shout). I could do anything I wanted. They didn’t know that I was performing as the character Prince Poppycock, which I had just started. This was in the fall of 2006 and I started the character in January for the first time. I went and did that, and subsequently they filmed a documentary about it, which is showing on Sundance this month for the last time.
I got to meet a wonderful group of kids and elders through it. I just felt that the organization was something that was missing because of the need for encouragement of LGBT youth. Often times people feel very uncomfortable encouraging kids. Because of that, frankly, it’s now more of a twenty- something thing. When it first started it included high schoolers.
In this day and age it is still looked down upon to encourage gay youth to be okay with being gay. It is very frowned upon. It is considered if you will, part of the “gay agenda.” And the “gay agenda” is older gays making youth gay. It is ludicrous, but that’s kind of how it is seen. And so subsequently that’s how these kids grow up being told that there’s something wrong with them, or that they’re just going through a phase and they need to be fixed. So they grow up without healthy self-esteem and will frankly, self-hate. That is why they end up harming themselves. So I felt like it was important because it encouraged generational communication between gay elders and the up-and-coming generation. I just had a wonderful experience with.
I was asked to contribute a song for the closing credits, and I wrote that, but it was not used. I decided to release it on iTunes.
A: I have the lyrics to “Rise up and Shout” in front of me. What were they based on?
Lyrics:
My blood I can’t even donate
No matter how clean
No matter what type
All you see is dirty faggot
Get out of the bloodlines
We don’t want your kind
We’d rather victims die
because your love’s a lie
Don’t want your tainted blood
you’re not even human
I can’t take anymore of this
I’ve got to
Rise up and Shout
JQ: It’s the law. Homosexual men are not allowed to donate their blood.
A: In California or nationally?
JQ: Nationally.
A: I was unaware. I didn’t even know that.
JQ: Most people are unaware. It’s not just homosexuals. It is also people that have had tattoos in the past six months and people that have done certain things out of the country. One of the most glaring injustices is that if you have had homosexual sex in the past 15 years you are ineligible to donate blood.
They recently came up to revise the law but it did not pass. It stayed that way. The Red Cross, their guidelines, their choice. Often times people tend to donate without disclosing, which some people call “blood terrorism”, but I will forever demure from donating blood until they change the rules.
A: After that, I am kind of speechless. I did not know that. Makes me want to rise up and shout!
Part 2 ot the interview has Prince Poppycock fielding questions from his fans.
http//:www.thetrevorproject.org/http://www.princepoppycock.com

Part two: questions from fans
1) From J.M.
What advice do you have for people being taunted or bullied just for being themselves?
PP: I would give them the advice that I personally try to give myself every time I start to feel sorry for myself. Life in and of itself is an absolute miracle. It is and always will be the greatest, most magical thing you will ever experience. The simple fact that we get a chance to be alive is basically like winning the lottery. Think about the infinite number of possible lives that could come into existence that will never get a chance to be. But you are! That’s pretty mind-boggling to me and I don’t think that it will ever stop being that way. It’s fairly humbling and it makes me grateful for every moment and every breath of my life.
Don’t let anyone else tell you how you should feel about yourself. Your moods are like magnets, and while it may not seem like it, you have the choice of how you feel at any time. The hardest lesson to learn is that we are in control of our reactions to events in our lives. We can be victims or we can be heroes. I would encourage any kid growing up today who is dealing with injustice to (like Gandhi said) be the change that they want to see in the world. We can make a better world one kid at a time who believes that each and every one of us is equal and has the right to live out our dreams.
2) From J.C.
How have you dealt with discrimination that you have faced in your life?
PP: Discrimination that I faced in my life has made me stronger. Rather than being motivated by my ego, I’m inspired every day to add my tiny little effort to create a world where egalitarianism and justice prevail.
3) From C.R.
Does His Royal Highness have any advice for young people wanting to pursue the arts as a career?
PP: I would encourage you to focus on the reasons why you are pursuing the career that you chose. Hold onto those reasons, no matter what. Forget about lifestyle, or trappings, or glamorous things. Grow a thick skin and become resilient. Each and every time you encounter a setback get back up on your feet as quickly as you can (but don’t beat yourself up if it takes you longer than you would like sometimes). Cherish the mentors that come in your life. Develop a thirst for learning that isn’t attached to any kind of outcome. And always, always, always follow your heart.
4) From S.D.
What are the pros and cons of being an independent artist given the state of both the economy and the music business?
PP: When I first moved to Los Angeles my goal was to work in the record industry while pursuing my own creative goals. I got to witness first hand as the record industry crumbled from the inside out. It’s akin to the downfall of the old Hollywood studio system in the 50s. As a result there are positives and negatives for artists. Unfortunately, people are no longer willing to take risks on untested talent for a record contract. They only are willing to roll the dice if they know that the album will turn a profit. On the plus side, however, an independent artist gains an awful lot more creative control and freedom. They are no longer controlled and told what to do. So while I would not turn down a major label contract, I very much enjoy being my own boss at the moment.
5) From C. D.
How is your home recording studio project coming along?
PP: I am very passionate about recording. I started using computer recording technology when I was about 12 years old, basically when consumer software allowed home users to be able to rudimentarily edit audio. I then got my first four track, and first synthesizer not long after that. I wrote and self produced (if you could call it that) all through high school, and started in on learning MIDI editing when I was in college. While I love it, it also tends to be a bit of a curse, because what I want to achieve is always a bit too ambitious for me to achieve just by myself. Mixes can become tangled webs that are easy to become lost in, technical problems can plague projects, and there always seems to be something just out of reach. While I wouldn’t give up what I’ve learned for the world, I am looking forward to the day where I can record in a studio, with other musicians and a proper producer. That said, the productions that I’m working on now are moving forward. And I’m confident in saying that they are my best works to date.
6) From C.D.
Just curious — How do you manage to store and deal with so many fantastical costumes, props, etc. when not using them?
PP: Luckily, I live in a lovely old house here in LA. Because of this we have a detached garage, a spooky old seller, and I have a large closet. The dining room is home to several eight-foot tall champagne bottles, as well as all the unbroken ceramics from the “Bohemian Rhapsody” performance. The basement is filled to the brim with props, shoes and odds and ends. The garage has the Pagliacci cape and the Nessun Dorma Helmet, all the diapers from the Caesar’s Palace New Year’s Eve show, sitting next to the lawn mower and garden tools. My bedroom is filled to capacity with wigs and costumes. The only place left to go is up now! We may have to start storing things in the unfinished attic!
7) From rumorville
Is the rumor true that you will be on “X-Factor?”
PP: Nope
8) From P.H.H.
Will the Prince not found a country where we can all move?
PP: I believe that Poppyopolis already exists in my heart and inside the heart of everyone that has supported and believed in me over the last year. I think it’s a place that we can all go to for comfort and fun and frivolity any time we want!
Thank you Prince Poppycock for sharing part of your life with all of your “Poppies.”